
Dozens of exhausted refugees unexpectedly arrived in Frankfurt in the early hours of this morning after fleeing war-torn Middle Eastern countries.

Syrian women, children and families lay on the platform in the dark and cold after their train, which was travelling from Budapest’s Keleti station, stopped.

Others clutched their drained children in their arms as they waited next to the few possessions they were able to carry.

They had fled to Budapest in search of asylum earlier this week but resorted to marching the 110-miles to the Austrian border after some were tricked into boarding trains to designated migrant camps where they feared they would face reprisals from the country's far-right officials.

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Tired: Children and adults alike were exhausted as they arrived in Frankfurt on Sunday morning, with one father making sure his young boy stayed warm by wrapping him in a blanket as he slept on his shoulder

Gifts: Two Syrian children laugh as they cuddle a purple stuffed toy, which was given to them by groups of supporters who gathered as the train arrived in Frankfurt

Keeping close: A mother tenderly holds her baby and a train ticket as she waits in Budapest to board a train to take them to the Austrian border

The refugees were then put on trains to Germany and met by volunteers who had made up bags of groceries and collected soft drinks for them. Signs reading 'Welcome in Frankfurt' were also scattered around the station.

Well-wishers also ensured the exhausted men and women were kept warm by providing blankets and scarves as well as soft toys for young children who had undertaken the gruelling journey.

One man, an Egyptian, who gave his name as Mustafa and said he had been living in Frankfurt for 20 years, was carrying an Arabic-language cardboard sign stating: 'Warm welcome.'

Lara Sabbagh, a volunteer for an organisation called Kleeblatt based near Frankfurt, acted as a translator for some of the Syrian refugees.

She told bystanders: 'They're afraid. They say they've just fled from their country and their ruler.'

The migrants’ late-night arrival came hours after the first 500 refugees reached Munich on 'special' trains from Vienna, Nickelsdorf and Salzburg yesterday after abandoning hopes of settling in Hungary.

Warm welcome: A young boy clutches a bunch of balloons as he makes his way up an escalator to be registered after arriving at Frankfurt from Budapest's Keleti station

Change: Dozens of migrants unexpectedly disembarked a train at Frankfurt in the early hours of Sunday morning

Keeping warm: Well-wishers waiting at Frankfurt station made sure Syrian refugees were kept warm by donating blankets and scarves

Comfort needed: Many of the young children were exhausted, with one being clutched by his mother so he could sleep (left) and another crying while he waited to be registered (right)

Celebration: A German volunteer holds a migrant child in the air as crowds applaud at Munich's Hauptbahnhof station where hundreds of refugees arrived on Saturday evening after a treacherous journey from war-torn countries

Grateful: Earlier on Saturday, a child draped in an EU flag beamed as he arrived with his family at Munich station (left). Another was spotted playing on the platform after borrowing the train driver's hat (right)

Touching: A German volunteer kisses a migrant child as he is checked over after arriving in Munich from Vienna after fleeing the Middle East with his family

Thankful: A migrant carrying his worldly belongings holds a crumpled photograph of Angela Merkel as he arrives in Munich on Saturday

Jubilant: A group of refugees smile and raise their hands in the air as they walk through the station to be registered on Saturday evening

Relief: A father cradling his exhausted son offers a smile as he waves to cameras at Munich train station after arriving in Germany following a treacherous journey on Saturday

Innocent: Thousands of children descended on Munich's Hauptbahnhof railway station on Saturday afternoon after boarding trains from Austria with their families

Battling sweltering heat, some were still marching on the M1 route to Vienna on Saturday afternoon as Hungarian authorities finally laid on buses to transport those who remained.

At Munich's Hauptbahnhof railway station, migrants carried photographs of Angela Merkel and celebrated, walking off trains with their arms in the air as children wrapped themselves in European Union flags.

Thousands will be registered in the country after being invited to settle following global outcry at the worsening migrant crisis. They will be housed temporarily in military barracks and training schools across the country.

Migrants collapsed on the floor from exhaustion, having trekked from the Middle East, boarded trains through Central Europe and crawled under barbed wire on the southern Hungarian border.

Special buses took them to them from the border to the capital Vienna where hundreds boarded yet another train to Munich, Germany - the so-called 'promised land'.

Greeting: Refugees were met by German well-wishers as they arrived in Frankfurt by train on Saturday night following a gruelling journey through Austria

Helping hand: In the early hours of Sunday morning dozens of volunteers lined up outside Frankfurt station with bags of groceries

Thoughtful: Children's shoes were lined up at the station in Frankfurt by generous Germans eager to welcome the migrants on Saturday

Possessions: A German border policewoman stands on a bench in Frankfurt station while talking to migrants surrounded by the few possessions they have

Giving: Dozens of bottles of water and snacks were laid out in the train station by kindhearted Germans as they prepared for the arrival of hundreds of migrants

Patiently waiting: A young Syrian girl wearing a pink jumper waited on the platform in Frankfurt alongside a polar bear toy and blankets

New beginnings: Another group of refugees at Vienna's Westbound Railway Station catch a train heading to Germany on Sunday morning

Sticking together: A family wait on the platform of Vienna station, carrying just a few possessions and a full black rucksack

We love Germany: A young girl clutches a cardboard sign adorned with the German flag, a heart and the word 'love' in Saalfeld, Germany, on Saturday

On their way: Migrants lean out of the window of a train leaving from Budapest's Keleti station on Sunday morning

Keeping out the way: A young boy holds on to his mother's clothes as migrants board a train at Keleti station in central Budapest on Sunday morning

2,000 BRITONS SAY THEY WILL HOUSE REFUGEES A petition asking Britons to offer to house Syrian refugees has garnered more than 2,000 signatures. The petition, started by Cambridgeshire doctor Zoe Fritz, is addressed to David Cameron and Teresa May. It reads: 'If we were trying to protect our children in a war-torn country, or risk our lives trying to escape it, we would hope that someone, somewhere would welcome us… We need to help those who need it now.' The aim of the petition is to create a database of those who can offer space in their homes - for a month, six months or a year. Anna Ferriday, in Barry, offered a space in her house and wrote: 'I'm signing because I’m a normal mother who doesn't want another child to die because we closed our doors and hearts as a country.' Angela Dryden, of Ratby, added: 'I can offer a home for a child, orphan or family with help to fill out forms and provide love and support.' Advertisement

Many of the arrivals are thought to be Syrian refugees fleeing the country's civil war and the ISIS terror group which has carved a bloody path through the Middle East.

Chancellor George Osborne today said the world must tackle the 'evil regime' of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the ISIS terror group to solve the migrant crisis gripping Europe.

German police have said they expect as many as 10,000 refugees to arrive in the country today, and Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would not stop anyone from seeking asylum.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced yesterday that Britain is to increase its aid budget to more than £1billion, and promised to take 'thousands' of Syrian refugees living in refugee camps.

George Osborne said the country needs to boost aid, take down people smugglers and deal with the never-ending war in Syria to stem the migrant crisis.

He said: 'You've got to deal with the problem at source, which is this evil Assad regime and the ISIL (Islamic State) terrorists, and you need a comprehensive plan for a more stable, peaceful Syria.

'A huge challenge of course, but you can't just let that crisis fester. We've got to get engaged in that.'

'We must offer asylum to those who are genuinely fleeing persecution. Countries like Britain always have, we are one of the founders of the asylum system. We will take, as the prime minister said, thousands more.'

Austria and Germany both waived the rules of their countries' asylum systems - pushed to breaking point by the worst refugee crisis in decades - and agreed to let thousands of migrants in today.

'We're happy... We'll all go to Germany,' said one Syrian man near the Hungarian border, while another said: 'Hungary should be fired from the European Union. Such bad treatment.'

Osama, 23, from Syria, said: 'We are very happy that something is happening at last. The next stop is Austria. The children are very tired, Hungary is very bad, we have to go somehow.'

Joy: A little girl is guided through crowds of refugees as they arrive at Munich station on Saturday after reaching Merkel's promised land by train

Follow me: A mother leads her two young children passed police officers as they make their way out of the station in Munich

Extraordinary: Two teenage girls take photographs on a smartphone as they arrive in Munich alongside hundreds of other refugees on Saturday

Happy: A migrant family waves at crowds and photographers surrounding Munich station on Saturday as they embark on their new life

Elated: A father offers a thumbs-up as he carries his young son through Hauptbahnhof station on Saturday with hundreds of others

First steps to freedom: A child steps off the train at Munich station after boarding it with her family in Austria (left) and a man (right) pays tribute to Angela Merkel with a crumpled photograph as they arrive in the country yesterday

Excited: A group of young men express their joy as they arrive in Munich after catching one of the first 'special' train services from Austria

New home: A child sleeps in her mother's arms as she is carried through Hauptbahnhof station after reaching Germany where thousands will be registered as asylum seekers

Peace: Migrants collect food from aid workers at Hauptbahnhof station on Saturday afternoon after reaching Munich where they will be registered as asylum seekers

Help: A German aid worker hands out bottles of water, pretzels and snacks to refugees as they arrive in Munich on a train from Austria

Nearly there: A migrant family look delighted as they board a train bound for Munich at a station in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on Saturday

Exasperated: Around 4,500 migrants arrived in Austria from Hungary over night in the hope of boarding one of the 'special' trains to Munich

Care: A young boy has his temperature taken by a German medic as he arrives in Munich with his family by train on Saturday

On the road home: Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee, beams at his daughter Maria, eight-months-old, as they take a train from Salzburg with the rest of the family to Munich on Saturday. The family fled their Damascus home four months ago

Final stint: More than 4,000 exhausted migrants are now waiting for trains in Vienna, Austria, which will take them to Germany

Border crossing: A migrant woman carries a child as she waits for a train at the railway station in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on Saturday

Carrying small, sleeping children and what little belongings they have, they began the 100-mile march to the border overnight after Hungary cancelled international trains and demanded they report to processing centres.

Hungary reversed its hard-line stance after being 'overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of unwanted visitors'.

It sent dozens of double-decker buses to pick them up from the rain-soaked M1 motorway and take them to Austria's capital, Vienna, and also to Germany.

Once they have passed through shelters on the border, the migrants will be put onto a special half-hourly bus service to Vienna and Salzburg, according to Austrian Federal Railway.

Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the plight of migrants stranded in Hungary, now being taken into his country, was a wake up call for Europe.

He said: 'This has to be an eye opener how messed up the situation in Europe is now. I hope that this serves as a wake up call that (the situation) cannot continue.'

Wait in line: Migrants wait in a queue to board a train in Nickelsdorf, Austria, which will take them to the capital Vienna

Last leg: Thousands queued for trains at stations across Austria on Saturday (above) as the first groups of migrants reached Germany

Journey: Refugees arriving from Middle Eastern countries and Africa Migrants arriving at railway station in Vienna, Austria (pictured)

Transport: Hungary organised buses to take thousands of migrants to the Austrian border - and separate buses then took them to Vienna (pictured)

Finally here: More than 4,000 exhausted, rain-soaked migrants arrived on the Austrian border today, and walk into the country which has agreed to allow asylum seekers to enter

Promise: A man carries a toddler on his shoulder onto a train bound for Munich after flocking to Austria with other refugees

Nothing left: Thousands of exhausted migrants streamed into Austria on Saturday, bussed to the border by a Hungarian government that gave up trying to hold them back

First arrivals: Thousands of refugees reached Austria early this morning after busloads left Hungary in a mass exodus after the Austrian and German governments agreed to receive them

Next leg: They were greeted by aid workers who gave them food and water before they boarded special buses which took them to the capital, Vienna

Everyone welcome: Migrants walk to buses to take them further into Austria after they crossed the border from Hungary

Humanitarian: The Austrian Red Cross (pictured) help out as migrants wait on the Hungarian-Austrian border for buses to Vienna

Newcomers: Hundreds of migrants wait for trains at the Austrian border which will take them to Vienna

Drained: Many migrants (pictured) collapsed on the floor from exhaustion upon entering Austria - having traveled thousands of miles from war-torn countries

Happy to be there: Migrants looked delighted as they walked across the border into Austria after buses ferried them from Hungary

Desperate: Carrying small, sleeping children and what little belongings they have, migrants began the 100-mile journey from Budapest to the Austrian border

Not welcome: The migrants refused to go to processing centres - as demanded by the government - because they feared they would be deported

Almost there: Migrants walk across the Hungarian-Austrian border on foot after their arrival into a transit zone by public bus to the Hungarian border

Moving: Thousands have been flooding into Austria (pictured) today, and German police have said they expect as many as 10,000 refugees to arrive in the country today.

Hungry: A migrant child holds up a banana as he crosses the Hungarian-Austrian border on foot near the village of Nickelsdorf

Happy: A young refugee boy smiles as he arrives on the Hungary-Austria border where buses are taking people to the capital, Vienna

Arrivals: Migrants cloaked themselves in blankets to shield themselves from the pouring rain as they arrived on the Hungary-Austria border

Influx: Thousands of migrants arrived at the Austrian border (pictured) this morning and 'many more' are expected to flood in today

Stranded: A young girl - presumably one of the migrants who are being ferried to the Austrian border -is cared for by an aid worker on the M1 motorway between Budapest and Vienna

Austria has offered newcomers asylum opportunities but most say they want to settle in Germany.

Hungarian authorities have refused to let migrants board trains to the west since Tuesday morning, compounding the build-up of migrants.

The migrants refused to go to processing centres - as demanded by the government - because they feared they would be deported or be detained in Hungary indefinitely.

Government officials said they changed course because Hungary's systems were becoming overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of unwanted visitors.

The chief of staff to Hungary's prime minister, Janos Lazar, said the 'surprise' mass migration was ruining rail services and causing massive traffic jams.

The migrants set out from Keleti railway station in Budapest after Hungarian authorities blocked them from boarding western-bound trains.

Walking on: The Hungarian authorities organised hundreds of buses to take migrants to the Austrian border but hundreds continue to march up the M1 motorway (left) - an on rail tracks (right) - to the country today

Determined: Despite the buses taking thousands of migrants and refugees to the Austrian border, many have continued to march the 100-mile route

Long walk: Large numbers of refugees walk along a lane of the M1 motorway near to Nickelsdorf, on the Austria-Hungarian border

Safety first: Refugees hold up a paper warning from traffickers and showing safe means of transport, as they wait to continue their journey west from Eastern Railway Station in Budapest

March: Carrying small, sleeping children and what little belongings they have, they began the 100-mile march to the border overnight

Migration: Dozens of buses are taking thousands of exhausted migrants to the Hungary-Austria border, and many more are expected to travel

Leaving: Carrying his exhausted toddler, a man runs to board a bus provided by the Hungarian authorities to take them to the Austrian border

Almost there: Thousands of migrants entered Austria overnight after Hungary organised buses to take them across the border.

Delighted: Migrants wave from a bus as they wake up to a new dawn in East Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary

Exhausted: Dozens of double-decker buses will take them to Austria and Germany, according to Burgenland's chief of police

Jubilant: A migrant boy looks out from a bus bound for Austria and Germany, next to the Keleti train station in Budapest, Hungary

Journey: Migrants reportedly yelled, 'Thank you! Thank you!' as the buses took them across the Hungarian border to Austria

Moving again: Hungary's government said it would deliver around 100 buses (pictured) to pick up migrants in Budapest and another 1,200 striding down the main highway to Vienna

Excited: Migrants cheered and yelled 'Thank you!' as buses took them to Austria and Germany, who have agreed to grant them asylum

In chaotic scenes overnight, thousands chanting 'Germany! Germany!' streamed down the main highway from Budapest to Vienna while others sprinted onto railway tracks in Bicske.

A 51-year-old Pakistani man collapsed around 800m from the station and died after he stumbled as he tried to flee riot police and hit his head on the tracks.

The extraordinary scenes prompted Austria and Germany to announce that they would let the refugees into the country after Hungary took the decision to provide buses for the exhausted migrants.

Today's pre-dawn move eases immediate pressure on Hungary which has struggled to manage the flow of thousands of migrants arriving daily from non-EU member Serbia.

SPORTS TEAMS AND GOVERNING BODIES ARE DONATING MILLIONS TO HELP REFUGEES World-famous football clubs Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Celtic - as well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) - have donated millions of pounds to help the thousands of refugees reaching Europe. Real Madrid, who donated £730,000 to help the refugees 'taken in by Spain', are also considering measures to help the 'youngest refugees'. The Spanish side wrote on its website: 'Faithful to its commitment to charity, the club has taken this decision with the aim of supporting men, women and children who have been forced to leave their homes in order to flee from war and death.' Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Europe recently, many fleeing the war in Syria. German champions Bayern Munich pledged the same amount of money to projects supporting the refugees pouring into Germany. The club is working with Munich authorities to set up 'training camps' for children to receive German lessons, meals and football kits. Crisis money: Real Madrid, who donated £730,000 to help the refugees 'taken in by Spain', are also considering measures to help the 'youngest refugees' (players L-R: Gareth Bale, Luca Modric, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo) Support: German champions Bayern Munich (player Thomas Mueller pictured) pledged £730,000 to projects supporting the refugees pouring into Germany Other German teams have also offered aid to the tens of thousands of migrants who have entered the country this year as growing numbers flee Syria and other crisis zones. Meanwhile the IOC will give £1.3million in emergency funds to help ease the migrant crisis in Europe,its president Thomas Bach said Friday. He added: 'We have all been touched by the terrible news and the heartbreaking stories in the past few days. 'With this terrible crisis unfolding across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, sport and the Olympic movement wanted to play its part in bringing humanitarian help to the refugees.' 'We know through experience that sport can ease the plight of refugees, many of them young people and children, be they in the Middle East, Africa, Europe or in other parts of the world. 'Because of the nature of the crisis the assessment of projects and the distribution of funds will be carried out extremely quickly,' Bach vowed. Advertisement

Exhausted: Thousands began the 100-mile march (pictured) to the border overnight after Hungary cancelled international trains and demanded they report to processing centres

Waiting game: A migrants walks past bottled water as he waits for buses bound for Austria, where aid workers are waiting with food and hot tea at the border

Influx: Migrants arrive at the Austrian-Hungarian border station of Hegyeshalom, Hungary, after the country organised buses to take them across the border

On their way: Migrants carry their luggage and small children through a transit zone as they try to find a public bus to the Hungarian border

Transit: Local buses drive migrants from a transit zone to the Hungarian border village Hegyeshalom early this morning in Budapest

Rising tide: Hungary reversed its hard-line stance after being 'overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of unwanted visitors' and sent dozens of double-decker buses to take them to Austria

Soaked: Refugees arriving from Hungary walk under the rain at the border with Austria in Nickelsdorf, where thousands have boarded buses to the capital

Dawn move: Migrants who are entering Austria on foot walk towards the village of Nickelsdorf in early hours this morning

Resting: Migrants prepare to sleep by the side of the M1 motorway between Budapest and Vienna after marching from Keleti station towards the borde

Tired and hungry: Refugee Zami Elhuseyin, 9, sleeps besides the M1 motorway at night between Budapest and Vienna after marching from Keleti station towards the border

Tricked: Migrants sleep in Budapest's Keleti train station, after Hungary attempted to send migrants to a rural processing camp rather than to Germany by train

Update: A migrant checks his phone before sleeping besides the M1 motorway at night between Budapest and Vienna

Entry allowed: A policeman gestures as a bus of migrants arrives at the Hungarian-Austrian border (pictured)

European leaders are in talks to create an EU-wide 'border protection force' to deal with the refugee crisis, the Independent has reported.

Under the plans being discussed, the EU - not the member state - would be responsible for deporting 'economic migrants'.

The Commission will also create a list of so-called 'safe countries of origin' and migrants from these nations would be returned home because the EU considers them stable enough.

The list is expected to include all the Balkan States, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal and a number of other African countries.

In many cases, the migrants and refugees arriving in Europe - some from the embattled nation of Syria - have spent months in Turkish refugee camps.

They have taken perilous journeys by boat, train and foot through Greece and the Balkans - and crawled under barbed wire on Hungary's southern border - to create a new life in Europe.

Departing: Migrants board a train in the village of Nickelsdorf, Hungary, in early hours to head to Salzburg on the German-Austrian border

Exodus: Saturday's pre-dawn move eases immediate pressure on Hungary, which has struggled to manage the flow of thousands of migrants arriving daily

Helping hand: Earlier today, thousands of migrants began marching towards Austria before the Hungarian government decided to send buses to pick them up

Heading off: A sign on the bus taking hundreds of migrants from Budapest (pictured) to the Austrian border reads: 'Not in service'

Flowing in: 'The streams [of people] keep coming,' said Helmut Marban, the chief of police in Burgenland, Austria

Crammed: Many of the migrants arriving in Austria and Germany today have made the perilously long journey from the Middle East and through central European countries like Macedonia (pictured)

Long journey: They board overcrowded trains from Macedonia to Serbia, and then crawl under barb wire to cross Hungary's southern border

Perils: Thousands of migrants are making the perilously long journey through central European nations like Serbia and Macedonia (pictured) to make it to Germany and Austria

Around 50,000 migrants entered Hungary last month via the western Balkans, with a record 3,300 arriving on Thursday, according to United Nations figures.

Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban sparked anger by saying his country did not want more Muslim migrants and warning that Europe would lose its Christian identity.

Poor camp conditions and slow registration procedures for asylum-seekers appear to have contributed to rising tensions at Hungary's refugee facilities.

Earlier Friday, about 300 people had broken through a fence at a Hungarian refugee camp and clashed with police, while another 300 escaped from a collection point for migrants intercepted at the border.