Hundreds of refugees begin 100 mile march to Austria

Hundreds of refugees, including young children and people on crutches, have embarked on a 110 mile trek from Budapest to Austria after being barred from boarding trains for days.

Men, women and children in pushchairs left the Hungarian capital’s station saying they planned to walk to Austria.

Some of the children travelling among the refugees held photographs of Angela Merkel indicating that their final destination is likely to be Germany.

They walked along the main M1 motorway in Budapest in the late summer heat.

Earlier today in southern Hungary, police gave chase as about 300 migrants fled the crowded reception centre in Roszke on the border with Serbia. Another 2,300 migrants still inside were threatening to break out too.

The MTI state news agency said dozens more had fled a second camp west of Budapest in the town of Bicske

Hungary has become a major flashpoint of the crisis, as the main entry point for migrants who reach the EU overland across the Balkan peninsula, bound for richer countries further north and west, particularly Germany.

Hungary says it is enforcing EU rules that it must register all migrants caught crossing its borders, but thousands are refusing and demand they be allowed to continue their journey to western Europe. Germany has said it will let Syrians register for asylum regardless of where they entered the EU.

Meanwhile at Munich’s central station an estimated 500 people have volunteered to help thousands of refugees who are expected to arrive from Hungary.