A small group of migrants walk over the bridge to cross the Austrian-German border | GUENTER SCHIFFMANN/AFP/Getty Images Germany now expects 1.5 million refugees in 2015 Berlin’s welcoming approach has cooled in the face of rapidly rising numbers.

Germany authorities expect as many as 1.5 million refugees to arrive in the country this year, or nearly double the last official estimate, Bild newspaper reported.

Citing a classified government report, the newspaper said officials are concerned that Germany’s infrastructure for dealing with the refugees could collapse, as many communities have already reached their limits. The government in Berlin didn’t immediately comment on the report.

If accurate, the news will further inflame Germany’s increasingly emotional debate over the influx of refugees from Syria and other troubled countries in the region.

Angela Merkel’s open-door policy toward asylum seekers initially won praise from many in Germany and coincided with an outpouring of charity. But with nearly 300,000 refugees arriving in the past month alone, the national mood has shifted and a majority of Germans now say they are “scared” by the huge numbers of asylum seekers coming across the border.

In recent days, as many as 10,000 a day have arrived, despite the reintroduction of border controls with Germany’s neighbors. Officials now worry that this pace could continue through the end of the year, according to Bild.

As many as 920,000 refugees are expected between October and December alone, the report says. Factoring in family members — typically four to eight relatives join every asylum recipient — the total could reach more than 7 million. Though the family contingent would arrive much later, such forecasts are unnerving many politicians and sparking loud calls for tougher controls.

The estimate of 1.5 million refugees cited by Bild compares to a forecast of 800,000 issued by the interior ministry in August, the last official pronouncement on the issue. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel subsequently put the number at 1 million but other officials challenged the reliability of the figure.

Privately, government officials concede they have no idea how many people will come. Refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are overflowing and aid there, including rations, has been cut back due to the overcapacity. In years past, the number of refugees traveling to Europe has increased in the fall as those fleeing seek to leave before winter sets in.