Pepper spray and tear gas overwhelm a migrant girl Wednesday at the Hungarian border in Horgos, Serbia.
Pepper spray and tear gas overwhelm a migrant girl Wednesday at the Hungarian border in Horgos, Serbia.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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Hungarian police drive migrants back with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons

Photos detail the heartbreaking aftermath for migrant children

At the Hungarian-Serbian border CNN  — 

No wonder the children cry.

They’re thousands of miles from home, wandering from country to country, sleeping on the ground. They have no toys. Some lost their shoes.

The danger and futility of the European migrant crisis was once again captured in photos of the youngest travelers.

On Wednesday, a group of migrants massed on the Serbian-Hungarian border, seeking to enter the European Union.

A migrant girl has stinging chemicals washed from her eyes Wednesday in Horgos, Serbia.
A migrant girl has stinging chemicals washed from her eyes Wednesday in Horgos, Serbia.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Hungary had sealed the final hole in its border with Serbia on Tuesday, shutting off a popular route for tens of thousands of people in Europe’s migrant crisis.

How you can help with the migrant crisis

The move left desperate men, women and children – most fleeing violence in the Middle East – blocked from entering Hungary by a razor-wire fence.

A girl cries after Hungarian police use tear gas and water cannons on migrants at the border.
A girl cries after Hungarian police use tear gas and water cannons on migrants at the border.
Gul Tuysuz/CNN

At Horgos, Serbia, they forced their way through, some adults carrying children in their arms or pulling them by the hand.

Hungarian police drove them back with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told CNN on Wednesday that Hungarian forces had been driven to respond when young men armed with sticks and stones tried to enter. He maintained that “proportionate police force” was used.

But the aftermath was heartbreaking.

Hysterical children wailed in their parents’ embrace. Adults doused children’s eyes with bottled water to wash out the stinging chemicals.

A migrant receives help after Hungarian authorities use tear gas on the Serbian border.
A migrant receives help after Hungarian authorities use tear gas on the Serbian border.
Gul Tuysuz/CNN

Children barely able to walk wept uncontrollably, with no understanding of why they’re not at home.

The body of a 2-year-old boy who washed ashore in Turkey was identified as Alan Kurdi, seen here, left, with his brother, Galip, who also drowned. The boys and their mother, Rehen, died during a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea in September 2015 to escape war-torn Syria. The boys' aunt, Tima Kurdi, who lives in Canada, posted this image to Facebook.
The body of a 2-year-old boy who washed ashore in Turkey was identified as Alan Kurdi, seen here, left, with his brother, Galip, who also drowned. The boys and their mother, Rehen, died during a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea in September 2015 to escape war-torn Syria. The boys' aunt, Tima Kurdi, who lives in Canada, posted this image to Facebook.
From Tima Kurdi/Facebook
graphic warning - multiple images
Authorities stand near Alan's lifeless body on September 2, 2015. This photo went viral around the world, often with a Turkish hashtag that means "Flotsam of Humanity."
Authorities stand near Alan's lifeless body on September 2, 2015. This photo went viral around the world, often with a Turkish hashtag that means "Flotsam of Humanity."
DOGAN NEWS AGENCY/EPA/LANDOV
An officer in Bodrum, Turkey, carries Alan's body away from the shore on September 2, 2015. The child was one of 12 refugees who drowned during a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos.
An officer in Bodrum, Turkey, carries Alan's body away from the shore on September 2, 2015. The child was one of 12 refugees who drowned during a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos.
DHA/AP
People carry a coffin during the funeral for Alan, Galip and the boys' mother, Rehen, in Kobani, Syria, on Friday, September 4, 2015. Alan's father brought their bodies back from Turkey for burial in the city they had fled.
People carry a coffin during the funeral for Alan, Galip and the boys' mother, Rehen, in Kobani, Syria, on Friday, September 4, 2015. Alan's father brought their bodies back from Turkey for burial in the city they had fled.
Isa Terli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
People stand near the coffins during the burial ceremony in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
People stand near the coffins during the burial ceremony in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Isa Terli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Abdullah Kurdi, the boys' father and widower of Rehen, mourns during the funeral in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Abdullah Kurdi, the boys' father and widower of Rehen, mourns during the funeral in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Isa Terli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Men dig graves for the three coffins in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Men dig graves for the three coffins in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Isa Terli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Kurdi holds Alan's body before burying him in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
Kurdi holds Alan's body before burying him in Kobani on September 4, 2015.
DICLE NEWS AGENCY/EPA/LANDOV
One of the coffins gets lowered into the ground September 4, 2015, in Kobani.
One of the coffins gets lowered into the ground September 4, 2015, in Kobani.
DICLE NEWS AGENCY/EPA/LANDOV
Young refugee's body washes ashore in Turkey

These pictures recalledthose of Aylan Kurdi, 2, lying dead on a Turkish beach after a raft carrying his family capsized.

The photo of the boy’s body as an official approached was shared widely on social media, often with the Twitter hashtag #K?y?yaVuran?nsanl?k or “Flotsam of Humanity” in Turkish.

More wrenching photos of children are likely.

The impasse at that entry point in Horgos on the Serbian-Hungary border won’t stop the flow of migrant families attempting their arduous journeys, said Eugenio Ambrosi, regional director of the International Organization for Migration.

“People will continue to try to reach Europe through Hungary, Croatia or any other route that might be available to them,” Ambrosi told CNN.

Are countries obligated to take in refugees?

CNN’s Gul Tuysuz and Ben Wedeman reported from the Hungarian-Serbian border. CNN’s Ralph Ellis wrote in Atlanta.