Tent cities considered for Austria's refugees
Austria’s interior ministry says that it is no longer ruling out tent cities for refugees. On Thursday, the ministry told the Austrian Press Agency that the number of refugees has "massively" increased in the past few weeks.
It called on Austrian aid organisations to help organise accommodation.
The number of asylum applications would increase by 50 percent this August, according to the ministry. "The humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East is reaching Austria in full force," said ministry representatives.
Last week, there were 610 asylum applications and another 127 applications just on Wednesday this week, they said. The majority of the refugees came from Syria.
So far, tent cities had been rejected, but they could no longer be ruled out, said the ministry. Churches, aid organisations and Austria's other provinces were called on to help.
Austria's primary refugee centre in Traiskirchen, about 20 kilometres south of Vienna, has been hopelessly overcrowded for over a year. In June, around 1,300 asylum seekers were living in the centre in Traiskirchen. The upper limit for the centre is 480 people.
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It called on Austrian aid organisations to help organise accommodation.
The number of asylum applications would increase by 50 percent this August, according to the ministry. "The humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East is reaching Austria in full force," said ministry representatives.
Last week, there were 610 asylum applications and another 127 applications just on Wednesday this week, they said. The majority of the refugees came from Syria.
So far, tent cities had been rejected, but they could no longer be ruled out, said the ministry. Churches, aid organisations and Austria's other provinces were called on to help.
Austria's primary refugee centre in Traiskirchen, about 20 kilometres south of Vienna, has been hopelessly overcrowded for over a year. In June, around 1,300 asylum seekers were living in the centre in Traiskirchen. The upper limit for the centre is 480 people.
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