More than 7,000 Asian and Arab migrants seeking asylum in Europe were taken in by Germany and Austria on Saturday, days after they were blocked in Budapest's central train station after the Hungary's immigrant-averse government insisted they could not travel onwards without proper documentation.
Swathes of people, mostly fleeing from war-ravaged middle east, met with unexpected hospitality with well-wishers and charities offering candies and toys for children along with meals, blankets and other goods.
Although heart-rending images of a Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, washed ashore on a Turkish beach galvanized public sympathy, contrarian views and statements continue to plague policies of European Union which is sharply divided over how to deal with the flood of migrants.