More asylum seekers push through Austrian border controls on foot

The situation in the town of Spielfeld in southern Austria has remained tense on Thursday, with hundreds more migrants crossing over police barriers and heading further north into Austria on foot.

About 1,500 migrants had already done the same on Wednesday. Following a relatively quiet evening, the situation had escalated again the next morning with many new arrivals via neighboring Slovenia taking the total to over 2,000, once again filling up the gathering point for migrants in the small Styrian town.

As the crowds of people swelled, police decided to open barriers for safety reasons, with concerns over injury due to pushing and shoving.

This prompted hundreds of the migrants to set off unchecked on foot north via the B67 road, as had been done Wednesday, despite attempts by interpreters to convince them to wait.

Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that some then began shouting "We want to go to Germany!" and asked how much further they had to go and how long it would take.

Relief forces attempted to convey in English that the remaining distance to Germany was still hundreds of kilometres away, prompting some to turn back to the gathering point. Others were seen ferried onwards by taxis.

Red Cross personnel said the situation remains tense, with a constant stream of migrants continuing to come via Slovenia. About two-thirds were able to be housed in heated accommodation at the Spielfeld site overnight, the rest sleeping in unheated tents or in the forecourt.

Governor of the state of Styria Hermann Schuetzenhoefer visited the site at midday, and described what he saw there as "unacceptable."

He said that he was not in favor of closing the borders entirely, but that they did need to be able to be protected. Endit