61,000 migrants seek asylum in Germany in ONE MONTH
ALMOST 61,000 migrants sought asylum in Germany in April alone, officials have revealed.
Protesters are calling for Angela Merkel's resignation
German officials announced that there were a total of 60,943 asylum applications for the month of April - which equates to 731,316 in a year.
The figure looks set to put increased pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel with protesters already calling for her resignation amid concerns over tthe number of migrants who have reached the country.
Migrants gather at the Austria-Hungary border waiting to get through to Germany
Thousands of ‘Merkel Must Go’ demonstrators marched through Berlin on Saturday waving banners reading: “No Islam on German soil" and “refugees not welcome".
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Germany's neighbour, Austria, had been struggling to cope after becoming a major transit route for migrants seeking to claim asylum across the border.
In 2015 more than one million asylum seekers arrived in Austria trying to reach Germany after travelling through Greece and the Balkans, puttinga strain on Austria's resources.
German officials announced the figure on Twitter
Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said: "It is a matter of common sense to secure our borders as long as there is no European solution.
“I see it as our responsibility, to maintain security, order and the quality of life in Austria for our citizens."
Austria’s Chancellor, Werner Faymann, announced in February that it was imposing a cap on the number of immigrants it would allow over its border.
New restrictions were also introduced along the Italian and Slovenian borders.