Olympic stadium in Canada opened to shelter refugees crossing border from US

An Olympic stadium is being used to shelter asylum seekers in Canada following an influx of people from the United States - many of them fearful of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

More than 4,300 people hoping for refugee status have crossed the border this year, with more than half of these reportedly arriving in July alone.

Local health authorities and the Quebec Red Cross have now opened Montreal's Olympic Stadium to the arrivals.

Immigration Union national president Jean-Pierre Fortin has described the situation as a "major crisis", saying that "the system is not designed to handle such huge immigration demands".

About 90% of the arrivals are estimated to be from Haiti, and the federal government says the vast majority have headed to Quebec.

The province, and particularly Montreal, is home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the world.

Many Haitian nationals were granted temporary protection status in the US following an earthquake in January 2010 that killed more than 200,000 people.

It is thought that temporary US visas held by nearly 60,000 Haitians may expire in January.

While asylum seekers have been crossing the border into Canada since Mr Trump was elected, there has been a sharp increase in the past week.

The mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, said 2,500 people had arrived in July.

"The city of Montreal welcomes Haitian refugees, you can count on our full cooperation," Mr Coderre said.

The mayor described Montreal as a "sanctuary city" and said the influx was "another consequence of Donald Trump's immigration policy".

"During their temporary stay at the stadium, they are being fed, housed and given clean clothes," said Francine Dupuis, from the provincial Praida programme which helps asylum seekers.

The stadium was built for the 1976 Olympics and is now used as an event space.

Other venues being used for shelter include university dormitories and hotels.