
Bloody violence has broken out between Syrian and Afghan migrants this afternoon after they were seen fighting to board trains across Croatia.

Rocks, smashed glass bottles and sticks were used as violence broke out at the Beli Manastir train station in the northeast of the country.

A number of migrants were injured during the clashes while police officers used batons as they tried to break up the fight, which started at the ticket office.

The chaotic scenes unfolded as Hungary continued to build a giant fence along the Croatian border - just days after sealing off access from Serbia with a 100 mile razor-wire barrier.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said a 'fast-solution' fence will be finished on a 26 mile stretch of the border - where the two countries are not divided by a river - by the end of today.

Hundreds of Hungarian troops are being called in to help build the barrier just days after the country erected a huge fence along its border with Serbia.

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A police officer uses a baton as he tries to intervene after violence broke out among Syrian and Afghan migrants at Beli Manastir train station in Croatia

A man with a head injury is carried by another migrant after violence has broken out between Syrians and Afghans this afternoon

Tensions boiled over among some migrants in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary this afternppm

Tensions boiled over as huge groups of migrants waited to board trains at Beli Manastir in Croatia his afternoon. Police are pictured running for cover

Many were left with injuries amid reports broken bottles, rocks and sticks were used in clashes involving Syrians and Afghans

Flash point: Trouble is said to have started after a dispute at the ticket office sparking violent scenes at the train station

One woman was left with a badly bruised right eye as fighting broke out. Hundreds gathered at the station in the hope of travelling across Croatia

Croatia's Prime Minister said today that his country will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia - an announcement the Hungarian government described as 'totally unacceptable'

Migrants continued to stream in from Serbia in to Croatia this morning, walking through fields around one of seven road border crossings that Zagreb closed after an influx of more than 14,000 people in just two days.

Croatia's Prime Minister said today that border guards will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia - an announcement the Hungarian government described as 'totally unacceptable' as a war of words erupted this afternoon.

There have been reports that Croatia has already started transporting thousands of migrants and refugees to its northeastern frontier with Hungary, with at least two coachloads crossing the frontier.

Some 22 buses arrived at the border opposite the Hungarian village Beremend, each carrying around 60 people. There they were met by around 200 Hungarian police and 50 soldiers, who allowed two of the buses to cross the frontier, witnesses said.

After crossing, the passengers disembarked and were transferred into Hungarian buses which set off for an unknown destination.

It comes as the UN refugee agency warned of a 'buildup' of migrants and refugees in Serbia as its neighbors tighten their borders to the influx.

Tensions boiled over among some migrants in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary, angry groups of Afghan and Syrian migrants, waiting for trains to Zagreb, fought with rocks and sticks at a ticket office.

An injured man lies on the ground after clashes at Beli Manastir train station. On his back is a large scar that suggests he has undergone a kidney transplant. Many migrants have resorted to desperate measures to fund their journey

Violence: A migrant lies on the ground after being injured during bloody clashes between Afghan and Syrian refugees this afternoon

There were chaotic scenes as migrants tried to scramble onboard one of the few trains leaving Beli Manastir station this afternoon

Migrants battle to get into a ticket office before trouble flared at the station this afternoon. A number of migrants were injured during the clashes while police officers used batons as they tried to break up the fight, which started at the ticket office

Migrant numbers in Europe will build up in coming days and their flows may fragment further into new routes, the UN refugee agency said today

Migrants reach out of the window of a train at Beli Manastir in Croatia as others pass a tiny child up to them. The European Union has been urged to grasp a last chance to resolve the refugee crisis next week

A man lifts a girl through the open window of a train in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary

Afghans and Syrians bundle onto a packed train in Beli Manastir in Croatia in a bid to reach the country's capital city this afternoon

A child is lifted through the window of a train in Beli Manastir, Croatia, as migrants tried to reach the capital of Zagreb earlier today

A crying child is carried onto a train Beli Manastir as bloody violence broke out between Syrian and Afghan migrants this afternoon

Rocks, smashed glass bottles and sticks were used as violence broke out at the Beli Manastir train station in the northeast of Croatia

Rocks, smashed bottles and broken sticks littered the ground while a handful of police in ordinary uniforms tried to restore control.

At the Tovarnik railway station, around 3,000 migrants waited for buses and trains in the heat, women and children searching for shade under sparse trees.

Announcing the construction of the a razor wire fence along part of the Croatian border, Orban said this morning: 'During the night work already began on building the technical border closure... It seems we can rely on help from no one.

'The western Balkans route is still there. The fact the Hungarian-Serbian border is now closed has not stopped the flow.'

Adrian Edwards of UNHCR says 'the crisis is growing and being pushed from one country to another' as roughly 4,000 migrants and refugees pour into Greece each day and head north.

He says stricter border controls first by Hungary and more recently Croatia threaten a bottleneck in Serbia, 'which is not a country with a robust asylum system.'

A migrant is pictured slumped over in a wheelchair at Beli Manastir train station in the northeast of Croatia where fights broke out today

An exhausted refugee is carried after violence broke out between Syrians and Afghans as they tried to board trains across Croatia

A number of migrants were injured during the clashes while police officers used batons as they tried to break up the fight, which started at the ticket office

The chaotic scenes unfolded at the train station in Beli Manastir, Croatia as Hungary continued to build a giant fence along the border

Edwards said: 'You aren't going to solve these problems by closing borders.'

UNHCR says more than 442,440 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year, and 2,921 have died trying. But the International Organization for Migration puts those figures at 473,887 and 2,812, respectively.

The crisis is growing and being pushed from one country to another Adrian Edwards of UNHCR

In Turkey, several hundred migrants who have been blocked by police in the northwest from crossing overland into Greece drew closer to the border today after the authorities briefly opened the route.

From their makeshift camp on the outskirts of the border city of Edirne the migrants - mostly Syrian refugees - began walking in the direction of the city centre, beyond which lies the road to Greece. But less than two hours later they came to a halt, after the police erected a new cordon just outside Edirne.

Encouraged by the #Crossingnomore social media campaign, which called for migrants to be allowed to travel safely overland to Greece rather than risk their lives at sea, up to 1,000 refugees had flocked to the city since Monday.

But on Tuesday police sealed off the main road into the city from the east and sealed off access to the bus station, preventing migrants arriving from other Turkish cities by bus from continuing their journey westwards.

Making a point: Placard waving migrants staged a protest as they waited at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia this morning. More than 13,000 have come to the country in just days

Police officers watch on as migrants sit on the windows of a train at a railway station near the Slovenian-Croatian border in Dobova, Brezice

Refugees are making increasingly desperate attempts to cross Europe. A group of migrants are pictured trying to cross the river Sutla near Senkovec, Croatia on their way to Slovenia

Migrants have continued to stream through fields from Serbia into the European Union this morning, it has been reported

Struggling to cope: Croatia's Prime Minister said today that his country will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia

Hundreds of migrants walk up the side of a busy road near Edirne, Turkey, carrying huge bags of belongings as they walk towards towards the Greek border

New figures from the International Organization for Migration have shown that nearly 474,000 people have so far this year braved perilous trips across the Mediterranean to reach Europe

Migrants take time out from walking towards the Greek border as they stop to pray on a highway near Edirne in Turkey

In Croatia, officials last night announced it had shut almost all road crossings from Serbia, saying it could not take in any more migrants.

But the flow continued unabated this morning as migrants arrived by bus in the Serbian border town of Sid and walked through cornfields to cross the border, joining huge crowds controlled by Croatian police.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said this morning that the country will redirect people toward Hungary and Slovenia and further toward Western Europe.

Milanovic said that Croatia's capacities are full and that the authorities no longer can register people in accordance with EU rules. He said the country will let them pass through and suggested it will transfer them to its borders, primarily the Hungarian border.

He said: 'What else can we do? You are welcome in Croatia and you can pass through Croatia. But, go on. Not because we don't like you but because this is not your final destination.'

It comes as the European statistics agency said 213,200 people had applied for asylum in the European Union in the second quarter of 2015, with Germany receiving more than a third of the new arrivals.

Hungary has announced plans to build a giant fence along the Croatian border - just days after sealing off access from Serbia with a 100 mile razor-wire barrier (pictured)

Hungary has announced it is constructing a new fence along a stretch of its border with Croatia (shown in yellow) - just days after erecting a barrier along its frontier with Serbia (shown in red)

Human barrier: Croatian policemen line up as migrants look on from a packed train at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia

Climbing aboard: Migrants were pictured clambering on to a packed train at the ovarnik railway station, Croatia. The country has closed many of its borders

Migrant families are pictured resting in a train in Beli Manastir, northeast Croatia, near the Hungarian border this morning

A young child walks down the tracks flanked by two Croatian guards as protesters gather in the background at Tovarnik railway station

Migrants continued to stream in to Croatia from Serbia this morning, walking through fields around one of seven road border crossings that Zagreb closed after an influx of some 11,000 people in two days. Refugees are pictured sitting on the tracks in north eastern Croatia

Hundreds of Hungarian troops are being called in to help build a fence along its border with Croatia just days after the country erected a huge fence along its border with Serbia. Migrants are pictured sleeping on a train in Croatia

Two children are pictured sleeping on a platform in Beli Manastir, Croatia, near the border with Hungary. Migrants are continuing to stream in to Croatia from Serbia

Eurostat says the number of people seeking refuge was 85 percent higher than a year earlier, and up 15 percent on the first three months of the year.

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.

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

MIGRANT ELECTROCUTED AT CHANNEL TUNNEL ENTRANCE IN FRANCE AS HE TRIED TO CLIMB ON TO TRAIN'S ROOF A migrant was electrocuted late Thursday near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel in France as he tried to climb on to the roof of a train to make his way to England, an official said. 'The individual died after he was electrocuted trying to climb on to the freight car,' a spokesman for the local authorities in northern France said. The migrant, thought to be a Syrian, was found dead shortly before midnight Thursday. Officials said it was the 10th death of a migrant in or near the tunnel since late June. A spokeswoman for Eurotunnel, which operates the cross-Channel link, said: 'We deplore this event which proves once again that any attempt to cross the Channel illegally carries considerable risks.' In July, Eurotunnel said 2,000 attempts a night were being made to get into the tunnel, but new fences erected around the tracks have greatly reduced the number of intrusions. Eurostar said passenger train services were unaffected by the latest incident at a time when thousands of French supporters are making their way to London for the start of the Rugby World Cup. Advertisement

Meanwhile, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned this morning that countries that do not share European values of 'human sympathy and solidarity' cannot count on receiving money from the bloc.

Renewing a threat issued this week by his cabinet colleague, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Gabriel said that while Germany was opening gymnasiums, barracks and homes to refugee families, other countries were 'laying barbed wire on their borders and closing the gates'.

But this afternoon, a top EU official said that Balkan nations were not a 'parking lot' for migrants and pledged to fully defend their interests.

Policemen control refugees at the border between Austria and Germany, in Freilassing, southern Germany this morning

Migrants are pictured staging a protest at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia this morning. Many were carrying placards with messages begging border police to let them through

Refugees sit under a bridge at the border between Austria and Germany, in Freilassing, southern Germany this morning

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned this morning that countries that do not share European values of 'human sympathy and solidarity' cannot count on receiving money from the bloc

Refugees warm themselves around a fire at the railway station in Beli Manastir, north-eastern Croatia while others camp in tents next to a train

Hungarian police detain migrants after they were caught crossing the Serbia-Hungary border in the region of Morahalom, across the Serbian border town of Horgos

Refugees and migrants walk towards the Serbia-Croatia border on a road near Bezdan, north-western Serbia as the sun rises

'You are not a parking lot for refugees, you are also victims of the situation and we won't leave you,' European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn told the Macedonian parliament.

'All the countries of the EU are targets of the refugee stream and have the task to protect the external borders,' he said.

Hahn said the EU was 'fully committed to defend you (Macedonia), but also Serbia and other countries from the Western Balkans.'

Tens of thousands of migrants have been pouring into Balkan countries in a bid to cross into the EU's visa-free travel zone and go on to Germany, which has opened its doors to Syrian refugees.

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

A man uses crutches as he joins other migrants crossing the border between Greece and Macedonia near the city of Gevgelija, Macedonia

Hungary says it will finish building a barrier on a stretch of its border with Croatia by the end of the day. Migrants are seen walking over the border at Gevgelija in Macedonia

A refugee woman carries a child at a train station in Beli Manastir, near the Hungarian border in northeastern Croatia this morning

Refugees have been forced to camp out in the open as they wait to cross Europe's borders. Syrian migrants are pictured resting at a petrol station in northeastern Croatia

This morning, Slovenia suspended all rail traffic with Croatia until at least the evening and said that only those 'meeting EU requirements' would be allowed to enter the country, as it braced itself for the arrival of migrants from its neighbours.

Tents and shelters were being prepared in several parts of Slovenia, a member of the European Union and, unlike Croatia, of the passport-free Schengen Zone. The small country of two million people also borders Austria and Italy as well as Hungary.

Prime Minister Miro Cerar said late last night on state television that Slovenia would implement Schengen rules and that 'only those meeting the EU's requirements can be allowed to cross the border.'

The government also called an emergency meeting of its National Security Council on Friday to discuss the next steps.

The first larger group of some 150 migrants arrived on Thursday evening, crossing the Croatia-Slovenia border by train and were stopped just over the border in Dobova.

Local police initially planned to send them back to Croatia but despite hours of talks Croatia refused to accept them.

Slovenian authorities then moved the migrants to a centre in the west of the country 'while a procedure for their return to Croatia is agreed,' Slovenian police said.

Overnight another 100 migrants were intercepted attempting to crossing the border near the main border crossing of Obrezje, police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik said.

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

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

Slovenian media had reported late on Thursday that a group of around 600 migrants had left a refugee camp near Zagreb and marched towards the Obrezje border crossing, some 12.5 miles to the west of the Croatian capital.

At the Obrezje border crossing, the main road towards Croatia, the situation remained calm this morning with an increased number of police deployed on both sides although small groups of migrants could be seen arriving.

Yesterday, 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.

Meanwhile, Czech police and military will conduct a joint drill to be ready to deal with a possible increased numbers of migrants.

The drill will be conducted along the country's borders and will include hundreds of service members with planes and helicopters.

Interior Minister Milan Cjovanec says its goal is 'to test the ability of the forces to cooperate in crisis situations.'

Friday's announcement comes three days after Prime Minster Bohuslav Sobotka said his government is ready to deploy the armed forces to protect the country's borders against migrants.

Czech police already boosted its presence on the Austrian-Czech border on Sunday in response to Germany's decision to renew border controls along its border with Austria. But the Czechs haven't renewed border checks yet.

In Slovenia 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.

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

The Swiss government is offering to take in up to 1,500 refugees under a European Union plan to redistribute 40,000 people around the continent.

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.

Long queues formed for buses bound for migrant reception centres elsewhere in Croatia yesterday, 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.

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.

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.

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

'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.

Yesterday 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.'

EU BACKS PLAN TO RELOCATE 120,000 REFUGEES TO EASE PRESSURE ON HUNGARY GREECE, AND ITALY The European Parliament has 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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was due to hold talks in Zagreb 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, was set tot take place today.

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.’

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 yesterday 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.

Yesterday 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.

A Hungarian police officer guards the Horgos 2 crossing yesterday. 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

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.