ROSZKE, Hungary – Hundreds of refugees and migrants on Tuesday escaped from a temporary camp on the Hungary-Serbia border after breaking away in the latest example of frustration with authorities.
Police tried to contain them but overwhelmed by the numbers at the Roszke camp in the far south of the country.
It came after thousands lined up for buses, many of them having waited overnight in the cold for transport that they hoped would take them northwards towards Budapest and the Austrian border. After one bus departed it became apparent no others were coming.
A group of migrants, mostly young men, walked to the other side of the camp, where the police cordon was weaker, and made a break for freedom across a railway line.
"We've been here for two days and the Hungarian government only brings one bus?" a Syrian man, who gave only his first name, Ali, told The Associated Press.
A few miles away, in the border town of Szeged, police caught up with some of the migrants and there was a standoff, with some chanting "Germany, Germany!"
Hungary has made frantic and confused efforts to control the huge tide of migrants transiting the country as they try to reach Germany, leaving many trapped for days outside Roszke and furious at their treatment by Hungarian authorities. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced fresh efforts to complete a wall to keep the refugees out.
At Budapest's Keleti train station, migrants were being allowed to board trains bound for Austria and Germany. In many cases, they were segregated from other passengers and told they could only enter certain carriages.
