Austria: Asylum seekers housed in buses

The situation in Traiskirchen, near Vienna, where the asylum seeker reception center is located, is very difficult, and authorities are now housing newly arrived asylum seekers in buses, reports the Patria News Agency.

The reception center suspended the admission of new asylum seekers last Sunday after their number exceeded 4,000, while the center has just over 2,000 sleeping places.

Now, 11 buses are located not far from there, serving as a kind of "waiting room" for new refugees. 

According to "Der Standard", refugees have to spend time in the buses until their first interview and medical examination. 

Dozens of asylum seekers, including families with children, are housed in buses every day. Many of them sleep on the ground under the open sky or on the floor in the buses. 

Legally, such detention is possible for up to 48 hours, but those familiar with the situation in Traiskirchen point out that this deadline is not respected, especially on weekends. The Ministry of Internal Affairs denies this. 

Asylum seekers in buses receive one lunch package per day, as well as one bottle of mineral water, but they do not receive hygiene kits. 

According to insider information, there are also babies in the buses, and the police have forbidden reception center workers, who wanted to help, from delivering diapers and hoses through which asylum seekers in the buses could be supplied with fresh drinking water. The Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasizes that the authorities are interested in the fastest possible further transport of asylum seekers.