The number of refugees at the German-Austrian border showed no signs of easing Saturday after the two countries agreed to enforce stricter controls at five border checkpoints.
Approximately 1,000 people were waiting for Germany-bound shuttles early Saturday on the Austrian side at the crossings of Wegscheid and Simbach am Inn. More than 5,500 migrants arrived at the border area on Friday.
The border between Germany and Austria is the last leg for many refugees using the so-called Balkan route to flee poverty and war in the Middle East.
According to a new agreement that took effect on Saturday, Germany and Austria have designated five exclusive crossings along their shared border as handover and inspection points. Located in Germany's south-eastern state of Bavaria, they are: Wegscheid; Neuhaus am Inn; Simbach; Freilassing; and Laufen.
On the Austrian side of the crossings, tents equipped for cold weather conditions had already been erected to hold around 1,000 people. Authorities on the German side planned to increase the number of buses used to bring migrants to emergency accommodation or reception centres.
The newly designated migrant crossing points will free up the heavily used border checkpoint at Passau-Achleiten, which was already being used for normal traffic Friday evening.
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