Editor
At least 9 migrants have drowned after their boat capsized whereas attempting to cross the Drina River, which separates Serbia and Bosnia.
Authorities mentioned at the very least 18 different migrants, together with three kids, arrived safely on the Bosnian aspect of the border.
But groups from each international locations are trying to find a number of folks nonetheless unaccounted for. Parts of the river are as much as 200 metres huge.
Local media additionally reported a search is below manner for a smuggler who took the migrants throughout the river.
Vlada Rankic, the chief of the civil defence rescue group, informed reporters that rescuers have been additionally trying to find a mom and a child.
“Unfortunately, we do not suppose there shall be survivors,” he added.
Bosnia’s border police confirmed the incident occurred early within the morning, however didn’t present extra particulars.
Serbian officers additionally confirmed that an incident had taken place close to the border city of Ljubovija, with police including that almost all of the migrants have been folks from Morocco.
Serbia and Bosnia are among the many major transit international locations on the route by way of the Western Balkans into the European Union.
In September 2023, based on the EU’s border police organisation Frontex, the route overtook the Central Mediterranean route by way of Italy in numbers of irregular border crossings, with many migrants crossing by way of Bulgaria.
The Serbian authorities says over 1,000,000 folks from Asia and Africa have crossed into the nation for the reason that refugee disaster of 2015. More than a million migrants entered Europe that yr, based on the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to authorities knowledge, the bulk making an attempt to cross into Serbia in current months got here from Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Morocco and Pakistan.
But the variety of migrants transiting by way of Serbia has decreased considerably through the years.
Serbian police recorded 10,389 unlawful entries within the first half of 2024, which is sort of 70% lower than the earlier yr.
Serbian officers have credited the drop to tighter cooperation with Austrian police and with Frontex.
Many migrants use smugglers to enter Serbia from Bulgaria and North Macedonia after which attempt to cross into EU members Hungary or Croatia.
