A small gap in coils of newly laid razor wire is all that remains of the Zakany-Botovo border crossing between Hungary and fellow European Union member Croatia, as Budapest prepares to close off another route for refugees flocking to Europe. Heavy machinery is clearing trees and a 3-metre-high fence is taking shape along the line of the razor wire.
The border could be sealed in a matter of minutes, potentially diverting the refugees into tiny Slovenia or stranding them in Croatia, where authorities are struggling with the scale of the influx. Prime Minister Viktor Orban had said the closure was imminent, and speculation is rife that it might follow his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.