BREAKING NEWS

Croatia closes Serbia border crossings after refugee influx

By REUTERS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 08:22

Updated: SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 08:23

SID, Serbia/ZAGREB - Croatia has closed seven of eight road border crossings with Serbia after complaining of being overwhelmed by an influx of more than 11,000 migrants who evaded police, trekked through fields and tried to sneak into Slovenia by train in a march westwards that is dividing Europe.

Only the main Bajakovo crossing, on the highway between Belgrade and Zagreb, appeared to be open to traffic on Friday, while neighboring Slovenia stopped all rail traffic on the main line from Croatia after halting a train carrying migrants on the Slovenian side of the border.

Migrants have been streaming into European Union member Croatia for two days, their path into the bloc via Hungary blocked by a metal fence, the threat of imprisonment and riot police who fired teargas and water cannon on Wednesday to drive back stone-throwing men.

There were desperate scenes at a railway station on Croatia's eastern frontier with Serbia, where thousands were left stranded overnight under open skies.

The European Union has called an emergency summit next week to overcome disarray in the 28-nation bloc.

Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic warned on Thursday that Croatia would close its border with Serbia if the flow of migrants continued at the same rate, saying his country was full to capacity.

The president of Croatia told the military to be ready to join the effort to stop thousands of people criss-crossing the Western Balkans in their quest for sanctuary in the wealthy bloc.

Late on Thursday, police announced they had banned all traffic at seven border crossings. "The measure is valid until further notice," police said in a statement.

Serbia's main highway north into Hungary is already closed by Hungarian riot police on the border.

It remained unclear whether or how police would stop migrants, many of them refugees from Syria, from streaming through fields across the border away from official crossings, though their path across much of the frontier is made more difficult by the Danube river.

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