‘We escaped from war and came to the big prison’

By Gul Tuysuz, CNN
Updated 11:29 AM EDT, Thu September 3, 2015
A general view of the Keleti station in Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, September 3. The station has been reopened to migrants after it was closed for three days, forcing many to sleep outside the station. But there was bad news for those on board -- only domestic trains were leaving the station, a Hungarian government spokesman told CNN.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
A general view of the Keleti station in Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, September 3. The station has been reopened to migrants after it was closed for three days, forcing many to sleep outside the station. But there was bad news for those on board -- only domestic trains were leaving the station, a Hungarian government spokesman told CNN.
A migrant inside a train at Budapest Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
A migrant inside a train at Budapest Keleti station.
Migrants stand on the platform of the Keleti station waiting for a train. The station has become a focal point of the crisis currently engulfing parts of Europe, as an unprecedented wave of people -- mostly refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- seek to reach Northern and Western Europe.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
Migrants stand on the platform of the Keleti station waiting for a train. The station has become a focal point of the crisis currently engulfing parts of Europe, as an unprecedented wave of people -- mostly refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- seek to reach Northern and Western Europe.
Migrants aboard a train inside the Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
Migrants aboard a train inside the Keleti station.
Migrants walk by a train.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone/Roberto Salomone
Migrants walk by a train.
A child walks on the tracks of the Keleti railway station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
A child walks on the tracks of the Keleti railway station.
Migrants try to board trains in Budapest.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
Migrants try to board trains in Budapest.
Migrants inside a train inside the Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Roberto Salomone
Migrants inside a train inside the Keleti station.
Refugees and migrants board trains in Keleti station after it was reopened in central Budapest.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants board trains in Keleti station after it was reopened in central Budapest.
The migrants are free to travel to migrant camps in Hungary but won't be able to board an international train service, a Hungarian government spokesman said.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The migrants are free to travel to migrant camps in Hungary but won't be able to board an international train service, a Hungarian government spokesman said.
Migrants clamor at the doors of a train carriage in Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Migrants clamor at the doors of a train carriage in Keleti station.
Hungary, part of the European Union, is not the migrants' end destination but rather a transit point on a long journey north from Greece to wealthier nations like Austria and Germany, where they hope to claim asylum.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Hungary, part of the European Union, is not the migrants' end destination but rather a transit point on a long journey north from Greece to wealthier nations like Austria and Germany, where they hope to claim asylum.
But Hungarian authorities say that under EU legislation, they can't allow people to travel without the proper documentation -- a valid passport, a ticket and any necessary visas.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
But Hungarian authorities say that under EU legislation, they can't allow people to travel without the proper documentation -- a valid passport, a ticket and any necessary visas.
Hungarian nationalists protest as migrants gather in front of Keleti station on September 2.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Hungarian nationalists protest as migrants gather in front of Keleti station on September 2.
Refugees and migrants speak with riot police officers in front of Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants speak with riot police officers in front of Keleti station.
A boy holds a sign reading "SOS help me" in front of Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
A boy holds a sign reading "SOS help me" in front of Keleti station.
Refugees and migrants sleep outside Keleti station which remained closed to them on September 2.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants sleep outside Keleti station which remained closed to them on September 2.
Refugees and migrants gather in the transit zone of Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants gather in the transit zone of Keleti station.
Refugees and migrants protest outside Keleti station.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants protest outside Keleti station.
Hungarian railway operator MAV said Thursday it had decided not to run direct trains from Budapest toward Western Europe "for safety reasons." International tickets will be accepted on domestic trains, it said.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Hungarian railway operator MAV said Thursday it had decided not to run direct trains from Budapest toward Western Europe "for safety reasons." International tickets will be accepted on domestic trains, it said.
Refugees and migrants sleep outside the station. On Thursday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is meeting with other members of the European Union to figure out how to cope with the emergency.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Refugees and migrants sleep outside the station. On Thursday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is meeting with other members of the European Union to figure out how to cope with the emergency.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, alongside European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Orban said the situation was not of his country's making: "The problem is not just a European problem; the problem is a German problem."
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, alongside European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Orban said the situation was not of his country's making: "The problem is not just a European problem; the problem is a German problem."
Migrants gather in the transit zone near Keleti station. It's not clear if migrants who catch regional trains from Budapest will be able to travel on to other countries once they reach Hungary's borders.
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Migrants gather in the transit zone near Keleti station. It's not clear if migrants who catch regional trains from Budapest will be able to travel on to other countries once they reach Hungary's borders.
While European leaders struggle to come up with a coherent plan, the men, women and children caught up in the crisis continue to suffer. On Wednesday, some refugees in Budapest held up scraps of paper: "Help Syrians," they read. "Babies are tired."
Photos: Destination unknown: The struggle of refugees at Keleti station
PHOTO: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
While European leaders struggle to come up with a coherent plan, the men, women and children caught up in the crisis continue to suffer. On Wednesday, some refugees in Budapest held up scraps of paper: "Help Syrians," they read. "Babies are tired."

Story highlights

Some 2,000 migrants are stranded at the Keleti train station in Budapest, Hungary

Hungarian authorities are not letting them leave for Germany

Gul Tuysuz describes the conditions within their temporary camp

(CNN) —  

In the heart of Hungary’s capital, thousands of migrants and refugees have set up a temporary camp.

Hemmed in by businesses that refuse to share their water and electricity, and prevented from leaving for what they see as the safe haven of Germany, they help each other try to get by.

Instead of travelers with suitcases, the entire underground area in front of Budapest’s Keleti international railway station is filled with migrants and refugees. The luckier ones have tents and blankets – others shelter underneath pizza boxes.

Here, even cardboard can make a huge difference.

00:50 - Source: CNN
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