Syrian refugees stuck in limbo at Budapest train station
BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The crush of migrants escaping danger in places like Syria nearly claimed the lives of three children.
They were in critical condition Saturday after becoming dehydrated while riding in a packed truck in Austria, hoping to find safety in Europe.
In neighboring Hungary, CBS News visited the train station in Budapest to see why desperate refugees are willing to risk their lives in the back of freezer trucks.
It's the only way out for those stranded here at the train station, forbidden from boarding trains to Germany.
But Syrian refugees like Mohammed Saleh, who did not want to appear on camera, said Hungarian police stopped him and his family from going any further.
He told CBS News they left Syria 17 days ago and have been living on the floor of the train station in Budapest for days.
The entire family, including seven children under 5, was brought to a refugee camp.
Saleh said they were made to sign documents promising to leave Hungary in 72 hours.
But when they went back to the station to board a train to Munich, police stopped them dead in their tracks.
At the platform, Syrian refugee Zaima and her two children were also not allowed to board despite having tickets.
There aren't many answers in an unfolding tragedy that has seen thousands of refugees perish crossing deadly seas and battling barbed wire and border guards.
The last leg of the journey was supposed to be the easy part. Packing onto on a chicken truck is seen as relatively low-risk in comparison.
Saleh told us now he has no choice but to rely on a smuggler too. And so far, nothing has gone to plan.
On Friday, his cousin's wife, Fayza, gave birth to a baby girl, right inside the train terminal.
Little Serdan is doing just fine, staying at the local hospital for now -- although, like her parents and her brother, Yezan, she has no place to call home.
