The latest on the migrant crisis in Croatia, as arrivals pass the 300,000 mark.
From midnight to 9 pm on Sunday, 7,281 migrants and refugees entered Croatia. At the temporary reception centre in Opatovac, there are currently 2,840 migrants. It is expected that the influx of refugees from Serbia will continue. Since the beginning of the refugee crisis, 302,418 migrants and refugees have entered Croatia, reports Index.hr and Vecernji List on November 2, 2015.
Croatian interior minister Ranko Ostojić said that the first refugees will arrive to the new temporary reception centre in Slavonski Brod on Tuesday by train directly from Šid in Serbia. “In the winter transit centre in Slavonski Brod, which will be a temporary shelter, everything is ready for the arrival of refugees. That will not happen on Monday, since we want to organize the transport of refugees according to the protocol which has been signed with the Serbian side. We expect the first train to arrive in Slavonski Brod on Tuesday morning, with the full operations in the camp beginning on Wednesday”, Ostojić said.
“The number of refugees who daily enter Croatia has in recent days again stabilized on around 7,200 people”, Domagoj Džigumović, a spokesperson for the Vukovar-Srijem Police Department, said yesterday. According to the agreement between Croatia and Serbia, refugees will be placed in Croatian trains at the Šid train station in Serbia and will then be transported directly to the winter camp in Slavonski Brod. The process will be overseen by Frontex, European border protection agency. The centre in Opatovac will continue with its operations for several days, in parallel with the new winter camp in Slavonski Brod.
Fearing that European borders could be completely closed for migrants, refugees are seeking new paths to destinations in Western Europe. On Sunday, Croatia’s border police prevented entry to the country of a small group of migrants which tried to enter Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, through Bihać and Ličko Petrovo Selo. Unofficial sources say that the refugees have been arrested and have spent the night at the police station. On Monday, they will be returned to Sarajevo.
