Motorway closed as migrants walk to Vienna

Hungary's prime minister has warned migrants that if they cross the border illegally they will be arrested from next week, Sky News reported Friday.

It comes as Austria closes part of the A4 motorway near the Hungarian border for security reasons as scores of migrants tried to reach Vienna on foot.

Reporters estimate 1,000 people pushed through police cordons to make the 40-mile trip on foot on Friday as Austria's railway company, OeBB, stopped its service from and to Hungary due to overcrowding.

Services will remain suspended through the weekend, the company said in a statement.

"This decision to stop traffic to and from Hungary made it possible to stabilise the situation in Vienna's large train stations. This is important to keep train services running," OeBB said.

Packed trains have been taking thousands of migrants and refugees from the Hungarian border to Vienna for days with most heading on to Germany and other West European countries.

Some 8,000 people crossed the border into Austria on Thursday and 3,600 had already made their way across since midnight.

Police spokesman Gerhard Koller said 1,500 people had spent the night outdoors.

Hungary has come under increasing pressure as it has struggled to handle more than 170,000 people this year trying to get to Europe.

Source: MENA