Refugees cross into Serbia from Macedonia

THOUSANDS of exhausted refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa have crossed on foot from Macedonia into Serbia on their way to the European Union.

The rush over the border yesterday came after Macedonia effectively lifted the blockade of its border with Greece on Sunday, after thousands of migrants stormed past Macedonian police who had been trying to stop their entry by force.

Continuing their journey, about 7,000 refugees, including many women with babies and small children mostly from Syria, had crossed into Serbia over the weekend by yesterday morning.

Some were pushed in wheelchairs and wheel-barrows or walked on crutches. Meanwhile, hundreds more entered Macedonia from Greece yesterday.

The number of refugees now crossing into the Western Balkans is worrying many EU politicians and left the Balkan countries struggling to cope with the humanitarian crisis.