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Thousands Of Migrants Cross Border Into Austria

Thousands of migrants and refugees have entered Austria from Hungary, with many believed to be on their way to Germany.

Exhausted families, among them refugees from Syria, began trickling across the border on foot and arriving on buses overnight.

Around four thousand are said to have arrived at the Austrian border so far with authorities saying they expect the number to double.

German police said they are expecting 10,000 refugees to arrive there on Saturday, having made their way through Austria from Hungary.

It came after Austria made it clear it had agreed with Germany that it would take more refugees, waiving asylum rules.

Hungary, which has been struggling to cope with the influx of migrants, had previously attempted to take some of them to processing camps in what it said was an attempt to uphold international agreements.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would be setting no limit to the number of people who could seek asylum in her country.

"The right to political asylum has no limits on the number of asylum seekers," she told the Funke newspapers group. "As a strong, economically healthy country we have the strength to do what is necessary."

But, she said, any migrants that do not meet the criteria for asylum should be returned to their home countries.

One of those who had made their way to Vienna, Firas Al Tahan, 38, a laundry worker from the Syrian capital, Damascus sad he was pleaeed to be there.

"I am very happy," he said.

Another, 23-year-old Iraqi Merhan Harshiri, said: "Austria is very good. We have been treated very well by Austrian police."

Hundreds of migrants who are still in the Hungarian capital Budapest have been allowed to board a train to the border at the city's main station, having previously been prevented from doing so.

Meanwhile, officials warned that the number of migrants coming heading to Budapest from south Hungary still was rising, while others pass through Serbian and Greece.

Sky's Alex Rossi, who joined a group making their own way to Austria along Hungary's E60 motorway, saw children in pushchairs and disabled people in wheelchairs. Some carried pictures of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who some referred to as "mother".

"The pace is relentless," he said. "Hundreds of people making this journey - only stopping occasionally to catch their breath. They say they won't stop until they get to Germany."

Sky's Mark Stone, who is on the Austrian border, said the main E60 motorway from Budapest was jammed with traffic carrying migrants.

He said the majority of those who had made it to Nickelsdorf appeared to be young men who had left their families in Budapest in case the journey proved too strenuous.

One 23-year-old man leaving Budapest on foot said he expected to arrive in Austria within three days. Osama Morzar from Syria said he removed his fingerprints with acid so he couldn't be registered in Hungary, holding up smooth fingers as evidence.

Saleh Abdurahman, a Palestinian refugee from Syria who marched from Budapest, said he was set on escaping a Middle East made intolerable by wars that he blames on the United States and Europe.

"We don't want to go to their countries because we'd like to be rich," he said. "We only need to be human beings."

Germany provided refuge to 104,460 migrants in August and is expected to take in a total of 800,000 this year alone.

The latest group of arrivals are now in Munich.