EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-RED CROSS Red Cross cares for thousands of migrants at Austrian border

Record ID: 140099

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-RED CROSS Red Cross cares for thousands of migrants at Austrian border
  • Date: 10th September 2015
  • Summary: NICKELSDORF, AUSTRIA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2015) (REUTERS) PEOPLE AT AUSTRIAN BORDER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS SITTING ON GROUND AT BORDER SMALL CHILDREN LYING ON GROUND VARIOUS OF WOMAN WITH SMALL CHILD MIGRANTS SITTING ON GROUND VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS QUEUING FOR BUSES TO TAKE THEM TO NEARBY TRAIN STATION NOVA ROCK HALL WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING USED AS RED CROSS SHELTER NEAR BORDER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS SHAVING BESIDE ROAD RED CROSS WORKERS OUTSIDE HALL VARIOUS OF BOTTLES OF WATER STACKED UP MIGRANTS INSIDE OF HALL MIGRANTS SITTING INSIDE HALL VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS CHARGING THEIR PHONES VARIOUS OF RED CROSS WORKERS PREPARING FOOD AUSTRIAN RED CROSS SPOKESPERSON, MARKUS PUMM BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN RED CROSS SPOKESPERSON, MARKUS PUMM, SAYING: "At the moment we have 450 people in the Nova Rock hall. There are about 20 volunteers working here to hand out clothes, food and drinks. Next door we also have emergency services who can help with medical care. We have two or three doctors here and another two doctors are working in other stations. So we are well equipped on the medical side too." CLOTHES AND SANITARY PRODUCTS STACKED UP VARIOUS OF MIGRANT SLEEPING (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN RED CROSS SPOKESPERSON, MARKUS PUMM, SAYING: "The people who come here are of course very very tired from the long trip, from the strain of it. They are very hungry and thirsty. We are then trying to offer all the care that is needed as quickly as possible. We have beds in which they can sleep and relax. We are well equipped. Medically speaking it is the case that thankfully that the majority have very few injuries." MIGRANTS LOOKING THROUGH DONATED CLOTHES WOMAN ON FLOOR FOLDING CLOTHES VARIOUS OF CHILDREN COLOURING IN AND DRAWING VARIOUS OF POSTER ADVERTISING THAT RED CROSS CAN HELP FIND FAMILY MEMBERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN RED CROSS VOLUNTEER, NASRIN SZANKOVICH, SAYING: "It was a historic story. The mother cried so much, it was really hard and she hadn't slept since yesterday because she had lost her daughter. We tried to find out where she was and we drove around everywhere and found her in Parndorf. She was there, had found a good place and so they found each other again after 24 hours. The Red Cross helped." VARIOUS OF CHILD SLEEPING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN MIGRANT, LAVA, SAYING: "Pharmacist. I love pharmacy. I can't in Syria because of the war, I can't complete university because of the war in Syria. DONATED SHOES LINED UP
  • Embargoed: 25th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5HPTW7E799YGTLJHKMJ2H5850
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: After days of smooth operation, Austria's transfer of migrants to Germany appeared to break down on Thursday (September 10) as a rush of people crossing from Hungary forced it to suspend train services across that border.
    Around 3,700 people had earlier poured across the Hungarian border into Austria, straining resources at the frontier as authorities scrambled to provide onward transport.
    Those unable to continue their journey, are being housed a short distance from the border at the Nova Rock Halle, which is normally used for a rock music festival held every year in June.
    Once there, they are being taken care of by the Red Cross.
    "At the moment we have 450 people in the Nova Rock hall. There are about 20 volunteers working here to hand out clothes, food and drinks. Next door we also have emergency services who can help with medical care. We have two or three doctors here and anther two doctors are working in other stations. So we are well equipped on the medical side too," said Red Cross spokesman Marcus Pumm.
    Tens of thousands of people, many of them fleeing the war in Syria, have streamed across the border since Austria and Germany threw open their borders at the weekend.
    Almost all have headed for Germany, with only hundreds seeking asylum in Austria.
    "The people who come here are of course very very tired from the long trip, from the strain of it. They are very hungry and thirsty. We are then trying to offer all the care that is needed as quickly as possible. We have beds in which they can sleep and relax. We are well equipped. Medically speaking it is the case that thankfully that the majority have very few injuries," Marcus Pumm added.
    The Red Cross is also working with police to help reunite families who find themselves split up during transit.
    Nasrin Szankovich, a Red Cross volunteer, explained to Reuters how she was able to help one such family.
    "It was a historic story. The mother cried so much, it was really hard and she hadn't slept since yesterday because she had lost her daughter. We tried to find out where she was and we drove around everywhere and found her in Parndorf. She was there, had found a good place and so they found each other again after 24 hours. The Red Cross helped."
    Among those staying at Nova Rock Halle is 19-year -old Syrian refugee Lava, who is travelling with her mother, father, four sisters and two brothers.
    Lava is hoping to make it to Denmark where another sister lives, in order to continue her studies which have been put on hold.
    "Pharmacist. I love pharmacy. I can't in Syria because of the war, I can't complete university because of the war in Syria," Lava said.
    The new arrivals brought the numbers of refugees and migrants looking to move on towards western Europe from Serbia through Hungary to nearly 22,000 this month alone.
    A Reuters journalist saw hundreds of people continuing to line up on Thursday afternoon at the border with Hungary, where there is no formal frontier post because both countries are members of the European Union's open-borders Schengen agreement.
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