At least ten migrants, including a mother and her baby girl, drowned when their boat capsized while attempting to cross the Drina River, which forms the border between Serbia and Bosnia. The tragic incident was confirmed by Serbia’s Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic, who expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life. The victims were among a group trying to reach safety on the Bosnian side of the river, with at least 18 others, including three children, managing to reach the shore safely. However, it remains unclear how many people may still be missing.
Efforts to rescue potential survivors and recover bodies were hampered by bad weather, forcing a temporary halt to the search. Officials from both Serbia and Bosnia announced plans to resume the search operation the following morning, hoping for better conditions. The Drina River, known for its challenging width of up to 200 meters (656 feet) in some parts, presented additional difficulties for the rescue teams. Local media reported that authorities were also searching for a smuggler who was allegedly responsible for transporting the migrants across the river.
Bosnia’s border police confirmed the incident but did not provide further details, while Serbian officials stated that the incident occurred near the border town of Ljubovija. Most of the migrants involved were identified as Moroccan nationals. The discovery of the baby girl’s body was particularly heart-wrenching; she was found by Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, which reported that she was approximately nine months old and was with her mother, whose body had been recovered earlier.
Vladan Rankic, head of Bosnia’s water rescue team, emphasized the challenging conditions the search teams faced due to the weather. “So far, we have found ten drowned people. We do not know the exact number of people we are looking for, but the search will continue tomorrow in the early hours of the morning,” Rankic told the Associated Press Television News.
Serbia and Bosnia are key transit countries for migrants traveling through the Western Balkans in an attempt to reach the European Union. Recent data from the EU’s border agency Frontex indicates that the route through the Western Balkans has become more frequented than the Central Mediterranean route through Italy, particularly by migrants crossing from Bulgaria. Since the refugee crisis peaked in 2015, Serbia has seen over a million migrants, mostly from Asia and Africa, pass through its borders, with many continuing towards EU nations like Hungary and Croatia.
However, the number of migrants transiting through Serbia has significantly decreased in recent years. Serbian police reported a 70% reduction in illegal entries during the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, largely attributed to tighter border controls and enhanced cooperation with Austrian police and Frontex. Despite this, many migrants continue to rely on smugglers to navigate the complex and often perilous journey from countries like Bulgaria and North Macedonia into Serbia and beyond.