Croatia says cannot handle huge influx of refugees

Officials in Croatia have announced that the Eastern European country is buckling under the flood of thousands of refugees who have entered the country on their path to reach Western Europe, asking newcomers to go to neighboring Hungary or Slovenia instead.

Speaking at a news conference in the border town of Tovarnik on Friday, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said that his country could no longer cope with the trend, and that asylum seekers could not stay.

‘Welcome to Croatia! (Make sure you leave, though!)’

“What else can we do? You are welcome in Croatia and you can pass through Croatia. But go on. Not because we don’t like you, but because this is not your final destination,” Milanovic said.

The premier also called upon the 28-member European Union (EU) to step in and help, saying, “We have a heart but we also have a brain.”

Earlier in the day, Zagreb began transporting hundreds of refugees to the border with Hungary.