MORAHALOM, Hungary (AP) – A fence along Hungary’s border with Serbia to stem the flow of migrants will be completed by December, a Hungarian official said Thursday.
Defense Minister Csaba Hende said 900 people will be working to install the 4-meter (13 foot) high fence along the 175-kilometer (109-mile) border.
“The Hungarian defense force is ready to complete this task,” Hende said near the southern town of Morahalom.
Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said inmates in Hungarians prisons were already assembling the basic elements of the fence and unemployed workers could also help if needed. He said the fence is the only immediate solution Hungary could find to stop the flow of migrants – which stands at 81,300 already this year.
After talks Thursday with Romania’s president, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic described Hungary’s move to build the fence as an “unfortunate decision” prompted by the migrant crisis.