NINE FEARED DEAD AFTER MIGRANT BOAT CAPSIZES ON SERBIA-BOSNIA BORDER RIVER

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On Thursday, a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Drina River separating Serbia and Bosnia, killing at least nine people, according to officials, while the hunt for others continues.

According to Serbian authorities, several individuals were missing when a boat carrying approximately two dozen migrants capsized near the border town of Ljubovija in Serbia early Thursday.

“The search and rescue team and divers found the bodies of nine migrants whose boat capsized this morning,” said Bosnia’s civil protection group, which was overseeing the rescue operations.

“Other people are still missing,” they added without providing a figure.

Serbia and Bosnia are among the main transit countries on the so-called “Balkan route” on which migrants attempt to reach the European Union.

Serbia and Bosnia are major transit countries on the so-called “Balkan route,” through which migrants attempt to enter the European Union.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a statement that Serbian border police were informed early Thursday by “Bosnian border authorities, as well as a local resident, that during the night, a boat carrying irregular migrants capsized on the Drina River while attempting to cross from Serbia.”.

Following the tragedy, police discovered 18 individuals on the riverside, including three children, who made it to the shore, while rescuers and police searched for the missing.

Since the 2015 refugee crisis, more than a million migrants from Asia and Africa have poured into Serbia, according to the Serbian authorities.

According to government data, the vast majority of those attempting to cross in recent months are from Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Morocco, and Pakistan.

The number of migrants crossing through Serbia has decreased substantially over the years, and police registered 10,389 illegal admissions in the first half of 2024, approximately 70% less than the previous year.

Serbian officials have ascribed the decline to improved collaboration with Austrian police and Frontex, the EU’s border management agency.

Many migrants use smugglers to enter Serbia from Bulgaria and North Macedonia and then try to enter EU members Hungary or Croatia.

AFP