Thousands trekking to Vienna from Hungarian border

Vienna (AP) — Thousands of people seeking asylum in western Europe pushed through police lines at Austria's main border crossing with Hungary and set off on foot on the highway toward Vienna Friday.

They began their march after rail traffic was sharply reduced due to overcrowding, despite moves by authorities to compensate for that at the Nickelsdorf cross. Buses and taxis were called to Nickelsdorf to take migrants to the Austrian capital, the main jump-off point for Germany and other western EU nations for the tens of thousands who have crossed from Hungary over the past week.

Police spokesman Helmut Marban said there was "some kind of group dynamic" that started with a few people beginning to walk toward Vienna and quickly developed into a large movement of people.

He said the A4 expressway had been closed to vehicles because of the dangers posed by the long line of people walking the 60 kilometers (40 miles).

Hans Peter Doskozil, the police chief of eastern Burgenland said that on Thursday alone 7,500 people had crossed into Austria at Nickelsdorf — a number that apparently overwhelmed the Austrian Federal Railways in its protracted efforts to transport them further West.

Regularly scheduled trains from Nickelsdorf continued to other Austrian destinations, including Vienna, with three departures scheduled. But the railway company announced an end to special shuttles between Nickelsdorf and Vienna that had been running for days.

Already suspended Thursday was all railway service toward Vienna from the Hungarian capital, Budapest, where thousands of migrants and refugees have crowded the rail terminal.

In Munich, the first arrival point in Germany for most of those traveling on from Austria, authorities announced that more than 40,000 people have arrived over the past six days. Through Sept. 8, Germany has seen some 450,000 migrants enter the country and is expecting at least 800,000 this year.

In Budapest, a Hungarian camerawoman caught on video kicking and tripping migrants near the Serbian border offered a qualified apology for her behavior.

Petra Laszlo says in the letter published in the daily Magyar Nemzet newspaper that she was "sincerely sorry for what happened," but added: "I was scared as they streamed toward me, and then something snapped inside me."

The 40-year-old was fired by the right-wing N1TV online channel after footage went viral on social media.

Police questioned Laszlo on suspicion of disorderly conduct Thursday, released her without charge and say the investigation is continuing.

Many of the people fleeing war and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia chose the Western Balkans route leading from Greece through Macedonia, Serbia and into Hungary to escape severe overcrowding in Greece, the main recipient of those arriving in Europe by sea routes.

More than 250,000 people have reached Greece so far this year, the vast majority arriving on islands from the nearby Turkish coast. About half of all those who arrive do so on the island of Lesbos. Few, if any, want to remain in financially stricken Greece.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday unveiled a plan to share 120,000 refugees now in Greece, Italy and Hungary among the EU's 28 nations. That plan will be debated Oct. 8 during an emergency EU interior ministers' meeting.

By George Jahn, Associated Press. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – September 11, 2015 @ 11:45am.