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Munich sees over 12,000 migrants arrive in one day

Sept. 13, 2015 - 21:26 By 김연세

BUDAPEST -- German police say a total of 12,200 migrants came to Munich on Saturday and the flow is continuing into the city, the main point of entry to Germany.

Federal police spokesman Simon Hegewald said more than 700 people fleeing their homelands have arrived at the city's main station on Sunday morning. Police didn't immediately have an estimate of how many more might land during the day.

Officials in Munich were putting up tents but say their capacity to house the newcomers arriving from Hungary via Austria is being stretched to the limit. They are calling for more help from other places in Germany.

Hegewald said three special trains from Munich were planned Sunday to move migrants onto other destinations in the country.

The flow of migrants into Hungary has hit another record as Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government prepares an unprecedented border clampdown.

Police said 4,330 migrants were detained Saturday, over 700 more than the previous one-day mark. Hungary is rushing to complete a fence on its border with Serbia and starting Tuesday, new rules criminalizing illegal border crossings and speeding up decisions about asylum requests take effect.

Hungarian authorities hope the 4-meter (13-feet) high fence, more police at the border and tighter migration rules should deter migrants from trying to enter the country as they strive to reach Germany or other destinations in Western Europe.

At the least, authorities hope it will bring order to their mandatory registration system - which has crumbled as the number of migrants has grown. (AP)