
Croatia has been forced to close almost all of its borders with Serbia as it struggles to cope with the surge of migrants, telling them to keep away as 'this is not the road to Europe'.

Authorities have said they had no other option than to close seven of the eight road crossings after 11,000 people, who were turned away from Hungary, flooded into the country in a matter of days.

Croatia has become the route of choice for those hoping to reach western Europe, but it has struggled to cope - and Ranko Ostojic, Croatia's interior minister, warned those still planning on making the trip that it was not the easy route to places like Germany and Sweden.

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Migrants rest on the side of a street in Beli Manastir, which has become a gathering point in Croatia for those hoping to cross into Hungary

But Croatia's interior minister has warned migrants like these, on a bus through Serbia, that his country is not 'the road to Europe' and ask people to stay away after thousands crossed into the country within a day of Hungary sealing its border with Serbia

Desperate migrants and refugees reach out in order to receive aid packages in Tovarnik, Croatia, on Thursday

A baby cries as people force their way through the police lines at the station, hoping to board a train to the capital Zagreb

The Croatian officers struggled to contain the crowds trying to rush onto buses and trains in the town of Tovarnik

Some of the thousands of migrants who arrived in Croatia on Thursday wait at the train station in Tovarnik this evening

There are still hundreds making the journey north from Greece, crossing into Macedonia, near the town of Gevgelija

'Don't come here anymore. Stay in refugee centers in Serbia and Macedonia and Greece,' Ostojic said. 'This is not the road to Europe. Buses can't take you there. It's a lie.'

Roads leading to the Croatian border crossing were closed last night and only one, linking Belgrade and Zagreb, appeared to still be open.

This morning helmeted riot police tried to control growing crowds of refugees at the Croatian border town of Tovarnik, as thousands of migrants jostled to board buses after crossing into the country from neighbouring Serbia.

But most of the migrants and refugees are not planning to stay in the EU's newest member state. Already, many of those have reached the borders with Slovenia and Hungary, which are both part of the passport-free Schengen zone, leading to harsh words from Hungarian ministers.

Slovenian police stopped a train with some 200 refugees on board - the largest number to attempt to enter the country in one go, according to police.

Meanwhile, close to 1,000 migrants arrived on a single train in Beli Manastir, on the Hungarian border, where 20 police officers were on hand to encourage them to spend the night in a disused military base.

Hungarian police have already detained 'dozens' who have tried to cross illegally, while the country's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto accused Croatian officials of having 'lost control' over the migrant flow.

Szijjarto said it was 'unacceptable' that Croatia was pushing migrants toward Hungary and Slovenia instead of registering and looking after them according to European Union rules.

Earlier today long queues formed for buses bound for migrant reception centres elsewhere in Croatia, stretching the country's infrastructure to breaking point. Over 100 riot police officers were deployed to control the crowds and keep them back from railway tracks. One man is said to have suffered a heart attack.

In the capital Zagreb, riot officers surrounded a hotel housing hundreds of refugees after they began chanting 'Freedom! Freedom!' and throwing rolls of toilet paper from balconies and windows.

Thanks to its close proximity to the Serbia, thousands of migrants are expected to pass over the Croatia-Hungary border in the coming days, despite the fact it was heavily mined during the Balkans War in the 1990s and remains incredibly dangerous.

A migrant holds a leaflet distributed by Croatian police as they arrive at the train station in Beli Manastir, near Hungarian border

It is estimated 1,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in the town in the last day alone, hoping to cross into Hungary

Hungary has accused Croatia of simply letting the migrants through, meaning they are once again heading for its borders

Migrants attempt to get instructions from a Croatian police officer as they arrive at the train station in Beli Manastir

A small number of Croatian police officers stand up to hundreds of migrants as they attempt to rush onto buses in Tovarnik

Chaotic scenes broke out in Tovarnik, Croatia, as thousands of migrants arrived and sparked a stampede as they tried to board buses

Frustration: Police tried to control growing crowds of refugees at the Croatian border town of Tovarnik this morning, as thousands of migrants jostled to board buses after crossing into the country from neighbouring Serbia

A little boy sits in a banana box in as the adults around him take a rest near the border crossing in Croatia

Having been blocked from crossing into Hungary, many migrants have headed west to make the crossing into Croatia, where they hope to register at camps before being taken across the country in buses laid on by officials

Closed off: Fences and border controls are severely limiting the movement of refugees in Europe. Hungary's border with Serbia is already completely closed and fences are already under construction along its borders with Croatia and Romania. Refugees already in Hungary will find their routes out of the country limited thanks to border controls with Slovakia and Austria. Many of the refugees currently stuck in Serbia are now expected to head to Slovenia via Croatia, but even there they face strict border controls. Those who make it into Slovenia face further border controls if they try to reach Austria of Hungary but the Slovenia-Italy border remains open, for the time being at least

The news comes as Hungary faces worldwide condemnation for using tear gas to disperse crowds at its border, with Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the country of 'brutal' and 'non-European' behaviour towards migrants and warning it not to fire tear gas onto its territory again.

We are ready to [provide] asylum to a few thousand people and we can handle that, but we are not ready for tens of thousands. - Croatian Foreign Minister

Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said late last night that the country was prepared for the arrival of migrants but could not cope if the numbers increased dramatically.

'We are ready to (provide) asylum to a few thousand people and we can handle that, but we are not ready for tens of thousands,' Pusic told HRT.

'We do not have capacities' for such an influx, she added.

This morning around 4,000-5,000 migrants attempted to board trains to the Croatian capital Zagreb from the small town of Tovarnik after crossing the border with Serbia, the UN refugee agency said.

'There are between 4,000 and 5,000 people here,' Jan Kapic, a UNHCR spokesman, said from Tovarnik station in eastern Croatia. 'Trains are coming but they can't take all these people.'

Up to 5,000 people arrived at the tiny train station overnight. The station was overwhelmed as people slept all along the side of the tracks, with only a handful of Red Cross workers on hand to give out food and provisions for the hundreds of babies and children there.

One man lifts a crying baby as he waits to board a bus heading for a reception centre for migrants in Croatia's capital of Zagreb

Here to help: A Croatian policeman lifts a young boy on to a bus in the crisis-hit town of Tovarnik earlier this afternoon

Chaos: Over the past 24 hours more than 6,000 new arrivals have entered EU member state Croatia via its eastern border with Serbia

Control: Croatian police cross the railroad tracks as hundreds of migrants wait at Tovarnik station for a train to take them to Zagreb

Long queues formed for buses bound for migrant reception centres in Croatia, stretching the country's infrastructure to breaking point

Calm: A Croatian policeman talks to a migrant as they walk on a railway track near to the town Tovarnik earlier this afternoon

More help was on the way, said Kapic, including medical assistance and toilets, the first of which we're being delivered around 9 am.

'For now we have enough but more will be needed and is on the way...It is very hard to say if this will become the next transit camp. It is down to the Croatian government how it deals with this,' he added.

Kapic also said that the migrants were now coming straight to the train station without going to the police station for registration, with police overwhelmed by the numbers.

It is unclear where the migrants would go from Croatia, which borders Slovenia, Austria and Hungary, all of which are members of the passport-free Schengen zone, unlike Croatia.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic is to hold talks in Zagreb later today with his Austrian counterpart, Chancellor Werner Faymann. Faymann would then travel to Ljubljana to meet Slovenian premier Miro Cerar, his office said.

Milanovic had vowed that his country would allow free passage of migrants across its territory. A crisis meeting of Croatia's top security body, the National Security Council, is to be held tomorrow.

There will be an emergency summit of EU member leaders in Brussels next week to find a solution. European Commission plans to spread 160,000 refugees among member states are already being overhauled.

When asked to defend its ‘shambolic’ handling of the crisis, commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: ‘Shambles or not, that’s how the EU works.’

Migrants wait with bags on the tracks at Tovarnik station for a train to take them to the Croatian capital Zagreb

New route of choice: Some 4,000 refugees have entered Croatia from Serbia over the past 24 hours after Hungary sealed its border with a razor wire fence guarded by armed riot police. New arrivals are entering the EU member state via its eastern border

Exhausted: A Syrian girl is seen sitting in front of heavily armed Hungarian riot police at the Serbian border yesterday afternoon

Bloodied: Yesterday hundreds of refugees smashed through razor-wire fences into Hungary after chaos at the country's border. Hungarian riot police hit back with tear gas and water cannon, leaving many refugees injured - even those not taking part in the protests

Attack: Hungary faces worldwide condemnation for using tear gas to disperse crowds at its border, with Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the country of 'brutal' and 'non-European' behaviour

Route: New arrivals are entering Croatia via its eastern border, which has become the route of choice for those hoping to reach western Europe. Thanks to its close proximity to the Serbia, thousands of migrants are expected to pass over the Croatia-Hungary border in the coming days, despite the fact it was heavily mined during the Balkans War in the 1990s and remains incredibly dangerous

MORE THAN 5,000 APPLY FOR ASYLUM IN SWEDEN IN A WEEK Sweden - one of the countries of choice for those trying to start a new life in Europe - has reported more than 1,000 new arrivals daily, with 5,214 people applying for asylum in the seven days to Tuesday. Most are from Syria, but the numbers from Afghanistan and Iraq are also growing. There has also been a surge in unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, with 923 such cases registered in the seven-day period. Advertisement

Croatia, a former Yugoslav republic, has some 6,000 border police deployed. Since the start of the crisis the Croatian authorities have urged solidarity with migrants, recalling its own role in accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees during the 1990s Balkans wars.

Croatian authorities say they are forming a special body to deal with the influx.

Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said the country has the situation under control. But he warned that 'if huge waves start coming through Serbia we must consider different moves.'

Croatia represents a longer and more arduous route into Europe for the asylum-seekers from Syria and elsewhere who have been fleeing into Europe in the past months.

But they have little choice after Hungary sealed off its southern border with Serbia on Tuesday and began arresting anyone caught trying to enter the country illegally.

The result of the decision to arrest those breaking the border was plain to see, with the number of people intercepted falling to just 367 yesterday from a record 9,380 the day before. Hungary is understood to have a further 1,000 prison spaces ready to be allocated to those breaking through the border.

Overnight, Hungarian authorities positioned barbed wire and a new gate at the border where the clashes occurred, which was at one of two border crossings near the Serbian village of Horgos.

Early this morning hundreds of migrants remained at the two border crossings, but their numbers dwindled as many of them headed toward the Croatian border. Serbian state TV reported that 70 buses transported people overnight to the border with Croatia.

Overnight Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reinforced his view that by blocking the predominately Syrian and Afghan refugees, the border police are defending 'Europe's Christian culture' from being overrun by Muslims.

Divided: Around 200 frustrated refugees blocked on the Serbian side of the border yesterday, throwing plastic water bottles at rows of helmeted riot police and chanting demands that the border be re-opened

Blast: Hungarian police are pictured firing tear gas and water cannon at refugees across the border in Serbia yesterday

An injured refugee is seen at the Serbia-Hungary border this morning, just hours after fierce clashes with Hungarian border guards

Camp: Refugees are seen camping outside a railway station near the official border crossing between Serbia and Croatia this morning

Restricted: Even those wanting to avoid the landmine-packed Croatia-Hungary border are now likely to see the country as the best route into the hallowed Schengen Area - the European countries that have removed passport controls and allow people to pass in and out of member states without restriction. As the inset map shows, Croatia's border with Hungary and Serbia is littered with vast minefields

This morning David Miliband, the chief of the International Rescue Committee and brother of former Labour leader Ed, said events on the Serbia-Hungarian border revealed the 'dark side of the European character'.

'Anyone with an ounce of morality feels appalled by what's happening in parts of Europe,' he added in an interview with the Associated Press.

Anyone with an ounce of morality feels appalled by what's happening in parts of Europe...[it is] a dark side of the European character. - David Miliband

While lauding German leadership in tackling Europe's migrant crisis, the former British foreign secretary said that Hungary's decision to erect a razor-wire fence to stop the influx of migrants was 'misguided and short-sighted, and when it's combined with bullyboy tactics it's obviously appalling.'

Serbian doctors say two people were seriously injured and up to 300 have sought medical help after Hungarian police used tear gas and water cannons to stop migrants from entering Hungary.

In the last few months, Hungary has become a main entry point and bottleneck into the European Union for migrants, many of them war refugees from Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. More than 200,000 migrants have entered Hungary so far in 2015, nearly all by walking across the southern border with Serbia, as they make their way to Germany or other wealthy Western European nations.

Miliband's comments came two days after the 28-nation EU failed to come up with a united immigration policy at a contentious meeting in Brussels.

Ministers did agree to share responsibility for 40,000 people seeking refuge in overwhelmed Italy and Greece and spoke hopefully of reaching an eventual deal on which EU nations would take 120,000 more refugees, including some from Hungary.

The IRC boss called the EU failure 'disappointing in all kinds of ways,' but said Europe has no choice but to find another solution. 'Kicking this can down the road, kicking these people down the road is obviously no answer,' Miliband said.

EU BACKS PLAN TO RELOCATE 120,000 REFUGEES TO EASE PRESSURE ON HUNGARY GREECE, AND ITALY The European Parliament today backed plans to relocate 120,000 refugees around the EU to help the frontline states of Greece, Hungary and Italy, in a move that hiked pressure on ministers to adopt the proposals next week. In an emergency vote called after EU interior ministers failed to back the scheme on Monday, lawmakers approved the plans by the European Commission - the EU's executive - by 372 votes to 124 with 54 absentions. The ministers meet again next Tuesday to discuss the plans with a possible summit of EU leaders also on the cards. Parliament had to approve the plans but would normally have done so after EU states had backed the plan. 'We are very grateful to the European Parliament for understanding the urgency of this matter,' European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said before the vote in Brussels. Timmermans said the vote meant that both the Commission and parliament 'can say to the Council that the moment to act is now.' He was referring to the European Council, the 28-nation bloc's minister-level body. Advertisement

A Hungarian police officer guards the Horgos 2 crossing this morning. This photograph was taken on the Serbian side of the border

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has praised the guards for defending 'Europe's Christian culture' by blocking the mainly Muslim refugees

A young man looks through Hungary's closed border gate as refugees wait at a makeshift camp on the Serbian side of the crossing

Getting some rest: An Afghan man sleeps next to a razor-wire fence on the Serbian side of Hungary's border fence

Refugees gather at a makeshift camp on the Serbian side of at the Hungarian border near the town of Horgos this morning

Migrants wait for a train at a station near the eastern Croatian town of Tovarnik, having entered the country through via the Serbian border

Huge numbers: Refugees wait for a train at a railway station near the official border crossing between Serbia and Croatia

GERMANY COULD SPEND UP TO €25 BILLION ON MIGRANT INTAKE Germany's lead in housing hundreds of thousands of migrants heading to Europe from a war-torn Middle East could cost its Treasury tens of billions of euros over the next two years, according to early private estimates. The Japanese investment bank Mizuho was one of the first to put a number on it on yesterday, saying that accepting up to one million refugees a year over the next two years could cost Berlin €25 billion euros. That is derived from a basic calculation of €12,500 per migrant, according to Peter Chatwell, senior rates strategist at Mizuho. Part of the extra spending may have to be met by extra borrowing. Over half a dozen banks contacted by Reuters broadly agreed with Mizuho's calculations. Advertisement

During yesterday's clashes at the Hungary-Serbia border, 29 people were detained - including a man identified by officials as a 'terrorist'.

Hungary's decision this week to shut the EU's external border with Serbia was the most forceful attempt yet by a European country to reduce the flood of refugees and economic migrants overwhelming the bloc.

As thousands of migrants scattered across the Balkan peninsula tried to reach the EU, Hungary's prime minister said his country planned to put up a fence along parts of its border with Croatia and on the frontier with Romania to stem the flow.

Helmeted riot police backed by armoured vehicles took up positions at the barricaded border crossing with Serbia, where male migrant youths pelted them with stones, demanding entry.

Three Hungarian military Humvees, mounted with guns, also arrived at the border.

Hungary said it detained a 'terrorist' among 29 migrants held during the clashes. At least 20 policemen and two children were injured, a Hungarian security official said.

'Police also captured an identified terrorist,' Gyorgy Bakondi, a security adviser to the Hungarian Prime Minister told state television M1. A government spokesman said the man was 'in the database of security services'.

'It is getting very ugly there,' said Ahmad, 58, a shopkeeper from Baghdad who went to the official border crossing at Sid in Serbia but realised he may have a better chance of entering the EU via Serbia's border with Croatia.

'As soon as we heard about a route to Croatia we did not wait long. I want to go to Sweden to meet the rest of my family. I hope we will be treated better in Croatia,' he said.

Family: A father holds his child as desperate refugees walk the final few miles from Serbia into neighbouring Croatia

Hundreds of refugees are crossing into Croatia from Serbia two days after Hungary sealed its border with razor wire and armed guards

A refugee who was injured during yesterday's clashes at the border with Hungary stands in the Serbian village of Horgos earlier today

A refugee who badly injured his arm during yesterday's clashes stands on the Serbian side of the Hungarian border fence today