Protesting migrants clash with police: As it happened

1. Hungarian police fire tear gas as many migrants in Serbia try to cross border
2. Hungary says 20 officers and two children hurt at border
3. Serbia says Hungary to shut border for 30 days
4. Dozens of migrants arrive in Croatia, seeking seeking an alternative route into northern Europe
5. All times BST (GMT+1)

Key developments

That is all from our live page this Wednesday on the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.

Here are all the latest developments:

• Hungarian police have fired tear gas and water cannon at migrants as they tried to pass the closed border from Serbia
• Hungary says 20 of its police officers, and two children, were injured. There are reports a number of migrants were also hurt
• Many migrants remain on the Serbian side of the border as night falls, though all violence has stopped
• Serbia says Hungary is to close its border for 30 days
• There are reports that several hundred people have crossed into Croatia from Serbia as they seek to travel north through Europe

Thanks for staying with us - please check the site for all the latest updates.

'Slovenia and Croatia: open'

BBC

BBC journalist Nick Springate, on the Serbia-Hungary border, says Serbian police are now handing out these maps - apparently based loosely on a BBC map - showing Hungary as closed, and the route to Croatia and Slovenia as open.

More people arrive in Croatia

UN: 'Let migrants pass through Hungary'

Armed vehicles arrive near border

AFP/Getty Images

Over the last few hours, three vehicles mounted with guns, belonging to the Hungarian army, have arrived near Roszke.

They're stationed in fields alongside the border, where there were clashes earlier on Wednesday. 

Serbian journalists 'beaten'

Serbian broadcaster RTS say three of their journalists were beaten, and their equipment broken, by Hungarian police - despite identifying themselves as journalists.

A report on the RTS website (in Serbian) says that a cameraman was beaten over the head and back with batons.

All three have received hospital treatment.

'Treat the migrants less aggressively'

Serbia's interior minister says more police will be sent to the border with Hungary after migrants were struck by tear gas and water cannon by Hungarian police - that's according to Associated Press.

Nebojsa Stefanovic says that "the idea is to prevent further attacks on the Hungarian police from our territory and to separate in a humane and decent way migrants from the fences and the Hungarian police".

"We will do our best to make sure there are no more incidents, but we would like to see our Hungarian colleagues treat the migrants less aggressively,'' he is quoted by AP as saying.

UNHCR is 'extremely concerned'

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says it is "extremely concerned" at violence taking place at the border between Serbia and Hungary, Reuters reports. 

It says several migrants have been injured and some children separated from their parents.

Video of tear gas being fired

A reporter with a Swiss television channel posted this video - his comment reads: "Hungarian police: Tear gas in the middle of a group including toddlers."

Job offer for 'tripped' Syrian migrant

Reuters

You may remember how a Hungarian camerawoman was fired last week for apparently tripping a Syrian migrant as he approached Hungary from Serbia - if you don't, here's a reminder.

Well, there's been an update.

The man, Osama Abdul Mohsen, was a football manager in Syria. He has now been offered a job as a coach at a football training school in Getafe, near Madrid.

He's expected to arrive in the Spanish capital later on Wednesday.

Night falls on the Serbia-Hungary border

AP

It's getting dark in Roszke, and this is how it looks there now - there's still a strong security presence, but there are no clashes.

A large group of people appear to be preparing to stay there for the night.

Injured treated in ambulances

Reports of fainting and injuries

Reuters

Clashes on the border have left many people stunned, with reports of some people fainting and a number of people injured.

It is unclear if any arrests were made. 

'Hundreds cross into Croatia'

A reporter with Croatian broadcaster RTL Televizija tweets:

'Satisfaction is something for the Rolling Stones'

Reuters

A little more now from Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's interview with a German newspaper.

He told Die Presse (in German) that he was concerned about the number of Muslims arriving into Europe.

When asked whether he was satisfied with the fact people were finding it difficult to enter Hungary, he replied: 

Satisfied is a shunned expression in Hungarian politics. Who would be so crazy to say that we are satisfied when countless migrants are coming and we have to stop them? Satisfaction is something for the Rolling Stones.

On to a new future

The BBC's Europe reporter tweets:

Emotional scenes from earlier

Men, women and children of all ages were all caught up in the violence earlier this afternoon, as the images show...

Reuters

Reuters

Reuters

Did anyone cross into Hungary?

Agence France Presse says dozens of migrants managed to break through the border and cross from Serbia into Hungary after pulling down wire fencing.

So far, it's only AFP reporting this: Hungary's government spokesman told us that a group only tried to break through, and did not say that they succeeded.

Plans for Hungary-Croatia fence?

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban is planning to build a border fence at points along Hungary's border with Croatia, he is quoted as saying by Austria's Die Presse newspaper (in German).

All the latest tweets from BBC staff

We've compiled a Twitter list of our correspondents and producers covering this story across Europe - you can subscribe to the list here.

More doctors turning up

In a post on Instagram, the charity Doctors Without Borders says it has strengthened its teams on the Serbian side of the border due to the "rapidly increasing number of refugees being stranded on the Serbian side".

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Journey onward

Slovenia says it won't be creating a safe corridor for migrants but will receive refugee asylum claims, the interior minister tells Reuters. Austria meanwhile says it will increase checks on its border with Slovenia.

With the Hungary option currently closed, many migrants are likely to try to continue their journey from Serbia into Croatia and onward to Slovenia in their bid to enter Europe's Schengen zone,

UN chief condemns use of tear gas

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has given his view on the tear-gassing of migrants by Hungarian authorities.

"I was shocked to see how these refugees were treated," he said. "It is not acceptable."

Scenes of chaos

Some striking images are coming through from several hours ago, when events kicked off on the Serbian side of the border. Live footage from the area shows the situation appears to be a lot calmer now.

Reuters

Reuters

'Armed mobs of a couple of hundred people'

BBC

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has been speaking to Christian Fraser at the Serbian border.

"Armed mobs of a couple of hundred people started to attack the Hungarian border and tore off the gate," he said.

He also said members of the group - who he says carried sticks and stones - "used kids as human shields". 

Austria 'calmer': officials

One knock-on effect of Hungary's new legislation means fewer people have been arriving at the border with Austria over the past 24 hours, with fewer than 400 migrants left at Salzburg station on Wednesday, according to officials.

Croatia landmine warning

Arduous journey for children travelling solo

Munich station has become the destination for tens of thousands of people taking the migrant route from the Balkans, and Germany has re-imposed border controls in an attempt to slow the influx down. Many of those arriving are children who bhave travelled long distances without their families.

Read the story of an unaccompanied 15-year-old Afghan boy from Kabul, who got off the train in Munich, at the end of an arduous journey by land and sea. 

More on injuries suffered at border

A little more now from Gyorgy Bakondi, the Hungarian prime minister's security adviser.

He says two children were hurt as they were thrown over the fence, and are now in hospital.

He also says 20 Hungarian policemen were injured in the clashes. He didn't mention if any other migrants were hurt.

"We will definitely restore the fence and strengthen the fence and protect Hungary's security with all legal means," Reuters reported him as saying.

Could Hungary closing its doors create challenges for Serbia?

"If an exit into Hungary becomes impossible, the number of refugees in Serbia may begin to rise, challenging not only the country's capacity for dealing with asylum seekers but its citizens' hitherto admirable tolerance and empathy," writes the BBC's Guy Delauney in Belgrade.

More images from today's clashes

Here are more images from over the last hour at Roszke, on the Serbia-Hungary border: 

EPA

EPA

EPA

Two children hurt: Government adviser

A security adviser to the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, has told a television channel that two children have been hurt after being thrown across the security fence, Reuters reports.

Many more heading into Croatia...

Hundreds travelling north through Croatia

EPA

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants have been travelling on foot from Serbia to Croatia, where the government has given them free passage to continue their journey towards Slovenia.

But they are likely to encounter border checks there, as well as in Austria, where temporary border controls have been introduced. Many of the migrants are hoping to reach Germany where they can claim asylum.

'Neighbours now at loggerheads'

BBC

The BBC's correspondent in Hungary, Nick Thorpe (L), explains where things stand.

"Hungary and Serbia, who had had a good relationship in this region until recently, are now at loggerheads.

"It's difficult to see how that will evolve, because if Serbia refuses to take people back, and allows people to continue on through from Macedonia into Serbia, the number of people here will build up and put enormous pressure behind where this fence is."

Walking through cornfields to Croatia

Romania reacts to new Hungary fence

Romania is also unhappy over Hungary's decision to build a second fence between the two countries to try to stop the influx of migrants.

Romania's foreign ministry has summoned the Hungarian ambassador over the plan which Romanian official George Ciamba said was "out of step with the spirit of Europe", AFP reports.

Look at our map at 16:33 to get a sense of where border controls have been imposed and fences built in Europe. 

'The sting of tear gas has caught everyone'

The BBC's James Reynolds was near the border when tear gas was fired - you can watch his coverage here.

You can also follow James on Twitter here.

More police enter, injured carried away

Water bottles 'used as missiles'

EPA

Police said some of the migrants threw missiles, including water bottles, at them.  

Crossroads of Europe

It's good to get a reminder of the part of Europe we are talking about: it's a mix of countries that allow free movement under the Schengen agreement, countries that belong to the EU and those on the Mediterranean, where many migrants arrive.

Rozske, where today's clashes have taken place, is on the Serbia-Hungary border.

BBC

Is Hungary's stance legal?

It's a member of the EU, so can it just stop people from entering? The BBC programme Outside Source has been speaking to one expert - you can listen to the interview here.

Video of tear gas on border

Border to close?

This just in from Reuters - we will bring you more on this when we get it.

Hungary has informed Serbia it has ordered a 30-day suspension of the Roszke-Horgos border crossing between the two countries, Serbia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, after clashes erupted between migrants and Hungarian police in the area. Roszke-Horgos is one of the main border crossings between Serbia and European Union member Hungary, which sealed the frontier to migrants on Tuesday.

'Refugees, not rioters'

'Persistent attack'

Reuters

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has been speaking to public television by telephone, and was very clear about what he believes happened on the border.

"A group of very aggressive migrants is persistently attacking Hungarian police with rocks and pieces of concrete," he said.

"This attack is coming from Serbia, Serbian territory. Therefore, I firmly asked my Serbian colleague to call on Serbian authorities to act immediately against this aggressive group of migrants."

Retreat?

Footage of clashes

The BBC's Christian Fraser was on the Hungary-Serbian border when the clashes took place - here is what he saw.

You can also follow Christian on Twitter.

Shock and anger

People at the scene describe their shock and anger at being tear-gassed, with some requiring medical treatment, the Associated Press reports. 

"We fled wars and violence and did not expect such brutality and inhumane treatment in Europe,'' Amir Hassan, from Iraq, told the news agency.

"Shame on you Hungarians!" he says, pointing towards the Hungarian police.

Roszke crossing

All of the focus is currently taking place at a key crossing point near the Hungarian town of Roszke, where migrants are protesting the new rules.

Reuters

Live coverage

Welcome to the BBC's live coverage as events unfold on the Hungary-Serbia border, where police are firing tear gas at dozens of migrants trying to break through a border post in a bid to reach northern Europe. It comes a day after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia and introduced legislation making it an offence to breach a razor-wire border fence.