After more than 9,000 migrants massed into Croatia in just two days, the government put the army on alert Thursday and said migrants no longer are welcome to use the Balkan country as a route to western Europe.
“Don’t come here anymore. Stay in refugee centers in Serbia and Macedonia and Greece,” Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic told reporters, the Associated Press reported. “This is not the road to Europe. Buses can’t take you there. It’s a lie.”
Ostojic suggested Croatia might close its borders if faced with thousands more newcomers.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic called on the army to be on alert and act if needed to protect the border from the migrants, after chaos erupted Thursday on the border with Serbia in a rush to get on the few available buses and trains, the AP said.
Croatia came into the spotlight this week in the ongoing migrant crisis after Hungary closed its border with Serbia with a razor-wire fence and sprayed tear gas to keep the migrants from crossing. Croatia became an alternate route for those fleeing such nations as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to make the 1,000-mile-plus trek to Germany and other European Union nations.
Police in Croatia said a total of 9,200 people have entered the country since Wednesday after Hungary blocked them. Authorities were transporting them in trains and buses but became overwhelmed by the influx.
In chaotic scenes Thursday, hundreds of people pushed through police lines in Tovarnik , in eastern Croatia, when buses arrived to take them to refugee centers after waiting for hours in the hot sun, the AP said.
European Council President Donald Tusk announced that EU leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss how to deal with the ongoing migrant and refugee crisis.
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