Tired migrants finally cross into Austria

Thousands of exhausted migrants streamed into Austria on Saturday

Hungarian police waved us cheerfully into no-man's land. It was a day without rules at Hegyeshalom, and the police seemed relieved to be allowed by their government to play the role of the good guys at last.

Red Cross workers distributed food and water, clothes and toys to the children.

Many small children slept peacefully in their mothers' arms, or on their father's shoulders, missing the moment when they finally crossed the border.

It was the second time in three days that Khalid, from Syria, thought that he was going to western Europe.

He was one of those who scrambled aboard the 09.05 train to Munich in Budapest East station on Thursday morning.

Those six carriages became known as the "hunger train" when they were then stuck in the small town of Bicske for 28 hours.

A train carrying migrants became stuck in the town of Bicske for more than a day

On Friday, he was one of the subdued group who agreed to go to the refugee camp there, after a 50-year-old Pakistani man collapsed and died in the rush from the train.

Later the same day, he was one of hundreds who ran away from that camp, to join the march along the motorway.

Finally, the Hungarian government took pity, and he reached Hegyeshalom by bus.

Later in the day, the police directed the steady flow of migrants towards a smaller road crossing nearby.

The Red Cross regrouped, and the people kept coming - some from Budapest on local trains, others from other refugee camps.

As they reached the border, their pace quickened, no matter how tired they were.

There have been so many delays, so many fears on their journey.

As darkness fell at Hegyeshalom, the people kept coming.

Some were still in T-shirts, despite the sudden autumnal cold. Others were wrapped in blankets.

For days, they looked defiant, but defeated. Today, they were triumphant.