A record 270,000 to 280,000 refugees arrived in Germany in September, more than the total for 2014, said the interior minister of the southern state of Bavaria on Wednesday.
"According to current figures... we have to assume that in September 2015 between 270,000 and 280,000 refugees came to Germany," said Joachim Herrmann.
Europe's biggest economy recorded around 200,000 refugees arrivals for the whole of 2014. The sudden surge in 2015 has left local authorities scrambling to register as well as provide lodgings, food and basic care for the new arrivals.
Herrmann highlighted the pressure on the state government of Bavaria -- the key gateway for refugees arriving through the western Balkans and Hungary. "My fellow interior ministers confirm, without exception, that pretty soon we'll hit our limits in terms of accommodation," he said. "It's crucial to immediately reduce the refugees pressure on Germany's borders," he said.
As Germany expects up to one million refugees in 2015, Chancellor Angela Merkel's generosity towards refugees has sparked discord within her coalition. Merkel's allies, the conservative CSU party governing Bavaria, have been particularly vocal in criticising the policy and warning that resources are overstretched.
Berlin is now stepping up action to deter economic refugees from trying to obtain asylum in the country, in a bid to free up resources to deal with applicants from war-torn countries like Syria.
The government on Tuesday said it would add Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro to a list of so-called safe origin countries, which would result in swifter deportations of refugees from these states.
