Bodies of nine migrants found after shipwreck on river between Serbia and Bosnia

The bodies of nine migrants were found on Thursday, August 22, after their boat sank on the Drina River, the natural border between Serbia and Bosnia, said the Civil Protection of Republika Srpska, the Serb entity in Bosnia. “The water search and rescue team and divers have found the bodies of nine migrants whose boat capsized this morning in the Drina River, near the (Bosnian) town of Bratunac”explains the Civil Protection in a press release, specifying that “Other people are still being sought”.

Serbia, which shares borders with four European Union member states, is one of the main transit countries on the “Balkan route” used by migrants trying to reach the EU. On Thursday morning, Serbian border police were informed by “Bosnian border authorities, as well as a local resident, reported that during the night a boat carrying migrants capsized while trying to cross the Drina River from Serbia,” Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a police statement. Police found 18 people, including three children, who managed to reach the shore, while rescuers and police searched the area for the missing.