Shortly after Austrian officials announced that they would take in migrants, thousands of people arrived in the country Saturday.
Hungary, which had spent days stopping migrants from leaving by train, provided buses to take migrants into Austria, BBC reported.
By mid-morning Saturday, about 4,000 migrants had crossed into Austria, Austrian police spokesman Helmut Marban said.
A statement from the Austrian Interior Ministry said that police and Red Cross workers were prepared for the refugees’ arrival.
“Every refugee in Austria can apply for asylum,” the statement said.
Migrants have the option of traveling onward to Germany, which also announced that it would take in migrants. About 800 people arrived in Vienna before leaving on Germany-bound trains.
The move comes after thousands of migrants left Budapest by foot on Friday, heading toward the Austrian and German borders. They were desperate and frustrated after being stranded in Hungary for days, after the country blocked migrants from traveling by train.
No Legal Limit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says there is no legal limit to the number of asylum seekers her country can receive.
Merkel told in an interview published Saturday that “the right to political asylum has no limits on the number of asylum seekers.”
She says that “as a strong, economically healthy country we have the strength to do what is necessary” and ensure every asylum seeker gets a fair hearing.
But Merkel repeated her government’s position that those migrants who stand no realistic chance of getting permission to stay need to be returned to their home country.
