Belgrade/Sarajevo – Tragedy struck on the Drina River separating Serbia and Bosnia, as a boat carrying around two dozen migrants capsized, resulting in at least nine deaths.
The incident occurred early on Thursday near the border town of Ljubovija in Serbia.
According to Bosnia’s civil protection group overseeing the rescue operations, the search and rescue team and divers have recovered the bodies of nine migrants. Authorities added that other people are still missing, though they did not disclose the exact number.
The nationalities of the victims have not been revealed yet by the Bosnian authorities.
Serbia and Bosnia are key transit countries on the so-called “Balkan route” used by migrants attempting to reach the European Union. Early Thursday, Serbian border police were informed by their Bosnian counterparts, as well as a local resident, about the capsized boat.
After the incident, police found 18 people, including three children, who had managed to reach the riverbank. Rescuers and police are still searching the area for the missing individuals.
More than a million people from Asia and Africa have crossed Serbia since the refugee crisis of 2015, according to the Serbian government. While the number of migrants transiting through Serbia has dropped significantly in recent years, it remains a major transit hub.
Serbian officials have attributed the decline to tighter cooperation 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 attempt to cross into EU members Hungary or Croatia.
The tragic loss of life in this latest incident highlights the ongoing dangers faced by migrants seeking to reach Europe through the Balkan route. Authorities on both sides of the border are working to secure the area and provide assistance to those affected by this devastating accident.
