"23,000 migrants expected to arrive this week"

"23,000 migrants expected to arrive this week"

The large number of men, women and children who are expected to arrive is due to the fact that Macedonia and Greece are literally letting everyone there through as Hungary is set to introduce tougher laws, Stankovic said at a press conference.

There are around 2,000 people in Presevo at this time, Stankovic said, warning that rain and cold weather are causing additional problems.

There are 500 people at the reception center at the moment, with around 1,500 others in the streets, Stankovic said, adding that around 4,500 men, women and children passed through Presevo on Thursday.

Due to an increased inflow of men, women and children, Red Cross activists have started working in three shifts - around the clock - in order to be able to provide assistance to everyone.

Also on Friday, Alexandra Krause, UNHCR senior protection officer, told Reuters that "some 7,600 migrants, many of them refugees from the Syrian war, entered Macedonia from Greece between 6 p.m. on Wednesday and 6 p.m. on Thursday."

The agency said that "migrants are flowing in increasing numbers through the Balkan peninsula towards Hungary as Greece ferries them from inundated islands to Athens, from where they head north to Macedonia," and quoted Krause as saying:

"We have information from our Greek colleagues that the buses are on the way, so they will be coming and they continue to come."