Hungary says may declare state of crisis over Muslim migrants

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's Interior Ministry has proposed the declaration of a "state of crisis due to mass migration" as of Sept. 15, based on bills passed last week, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday.

The proposal will be the first item to be discussed at a government meeting on Sept. 15, Janos Lazar told a weekly news conference.

More than 160,000 migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa have entered Hungary from the south this year, heading towards richer European Union states, mainly Germany.

The new bills make crossing a border fence which is under construction a criminal offense and allow authorities to fast-track the assessment of asylum applications at the border.