Following the closure of the
border with Hungary, throngs of refugees in Serbia are heading for
Croatia, in the west, as an alternative route into Western Europe.
Croatian
authorities apprehended 373 foreign nationals, including 75 women and
73 children, for illegally crossing the country's eastern border, the
Croatian Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
The
migrants, who were intercepted near Tovarnik, by the Serbian border,
were taken to a registration center outside Zagreb, where they could
receive treatment and assistance from agencies.
Migrants who survived the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea could face another danger: landmines.
Medecins
Sans Frontieres, one of the aid groups assisting with the refugee
crisis, warned about the presence of Balkan landmines.
"Safe
and legal routes needed now: #refugees may inadvertently stray into
Balkan minefields in search for ways round new border restrictions,"
tweeted the aid agency, also known as Doctors Without Borders.
In a tweet, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said his country was "ready to accept people."
"It doesn't matter what religion or nationality they are or the country where they would like to go to," read the tweet.
"These
people are here, they want to work, to create. They don't want to come
to Croatia nor Hungary, but they will be able to pass through Croatia."
The
Croatian government said it has been preparing for refugees for weeks,
even conducting simulations on how to handle thousands of people.
Milanovic,
who is set to meet Thursday with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann to
discuss a response to the unfolding crisis, also had harsh words for the
Hungarian government and its blockage of migrants:
"I
believe the policy in Budapest of raising walls is dangerous and
cruel," he said, according to the Croatian government's tweet. "Wire in
Europe in the 21st century isn't the answer but rather a threat."
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