- Hungary's police chief said Saturday that buses were no longer being provided to transfer migrants to the Austrian border, calling the measure that brought thousands overnight a "one-off".
"The provision of buses towards Austria was a one-off and there will be no more vehicles sent to refugees walking along the road" towards Vienna, Karoly Papp told a news conference, quoted by state news agency MTI.
Overnight and on Saturday morning around 90 buses brought several thousand migrants to Hungary's western border. Some 6,500 had crossed into Austria by early afternoon.
Austria allowed them to cross over and provided special buses and trains to take them to Vienna, Salzburg and into Germany -- the chosen destination for all but a handful.
Hungary's provision of buses followed a march Friday towards Austria by around 1,200 migrants from Budapest's Keleti train station, where thousands had been stranded for days, and several hundred people walking out of refugee camps.
On Saturday at least 500 people took part in another march from Keleti towards Austria, after around 800 migrants reportedly walked out of Hungary's second largest refugee camp outside the eastern city of Debrecen.
Police prevented them from joining the M1 motorway, directing them onto a national road. An AFP photographer at the scene said the migrants were begging police to "please send us buses".
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has taken a hard line against the migrants, warning against the arrival of so many Muslims from a "profoundly different culture", said Saturday it was "unacceptable" for people to block motorways.
Migrants sleep on a bus as they are transported the refugee people from Budapest to the Hungarian border village of Hegyeshalom, early on September 5, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
A migrant family rests on a bus as they are transported from Budapest to the Hungarian border village of Hegyeshalom, early on September 5, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
Hundreds of migrants walk on the Elisabeth Bridge in Budapest on September 4, 2015, intent on walking to the Austrian border
Ferenc Isza, AFP
A migrant holds an EU flag as hundreds of migrants walk on a road after leaving the transit zone of the Budapest main train station, on September 4, 2015 intending on walking to the Austrian border
Ferenc Isza, AFP
A migrant flashes a V-sign as hundreds of migrants walk across Budapest after leaving the transit zone of the main train station, on September 4, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
A migrant argues with Hungarian riot police outsie the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest, on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
A migrant boy holds a sign reading 'SOS help me' as he sits with other migrants in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
Migrants sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
Migrants waiting for their trains fight in a massive crowd at Keleti railway station in Budapest on September 1, 2015, during their evacuation by local police
Attila Kisbedenek, AFP
A volunteer distributes water to migrants on a train from Budapest to Munich at the Austrian - Hungarian border in Hegyeshalom on August 31, 2015
Vladimir Simicek, AFP
Migrants travel on the train to Austria and Germany at the Eastern (Keleti) railway station in Budapest on August 31, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
Hungary’s police chief said Saturday that buses were no longer being provided to transfer migrants to the Austrian border, calling the measure that brought thousands overnight a “one-off”.
“The provision of buses towards Austria was a one-off and there will be no more vehicles sent to refugees walking along the road” towards Vienna, Karoly Papp told a news conference, quoted by state news agency MTI.
Overnight and on Saturday morning around 90 buses brought several thousand migrants to Hungary’s western border. Some 6,500 had crossed into Austria by early afternoon.
Austria allowed them to cross over and provided special buses and trains to take them to Vienna, Salzburg and into Germany — the chosen destination for all but a handful.
Hungary’s provision of buses followed a march Friday towards Austria by around 1,200 migrants from Budapest’s Keleti train station, where thousands had been stranded for days, and several hundred people walking out of refugee camps.
On Saturday at least 500 people took part in another march from Keleti towards Austria, after around 800 migrants reportedly walked out of Hungary’s second largest refugee camp outside the eastern city of Debrecen.
Police prevented them from joining the M1 motorway, directing them onto a national road. An AFP photographer at the scene said the migrants were begging police to “please send us buses”.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has taken a hard line against the migrants, warning against the arrival of so many Muslims from a “profoundly different culture”, said Saturday it was “unacceptable” for people to block motorways.
Migrants sleep on a bus as they are transported the refugee people from Budapest to the Hungarian border village of Hegyeshalom, early on September 5, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
A migrant family rests on a bus as they are transported from Budapest to the Hungarian border village of Hegyeshalom, early on September 5, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
Hundreds of migrants walk on the Elisabeth Bridge in Budapest on September 4, 2015, intent on walking to the Austrian border
Ferenc Isza, AFP
A migrant holds an EU flag as hundreds of migrants walk on a road after leaving the transit zone of the Budapest main train station, on September 4, 2015 intending on walking to the Austrian border
Ferenc Isza, AFP
A migrant flashes a V-sign as hundreds of migrants walk across Budapest after leaving the transit zone of the main train station, on September 4, 2015
Peter Kohalmi, AFP
A migrant argues with Hungarian riot police outsie the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest, on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
A migrant boy holds a sign reading 'SOS help me' as he sits with other migrants in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
Migrants sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
Migrants waiting for their trains fight in a massive crowd at Keleti railway station in Budapest on September 1, 2015, during their evacuation by local police
Attila Kisbedenek, AFP
A volunteer distributes water to migrants on a train from Budapest to Munich at the Austrian – Hungarian border in Hegyeshalom on August 31, 2015
Vladimir Simicek, AFP
Migrants travel on the train to Austria and Germany at the Eastern (Keleti) railway station in Budapest on August 31, 2015
Attila Kisbenedek, AFP
