BRATUNAC, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A man’s body was pulled out of the Drina River on the border between Serbia and Bosnia on Friday, bringing to 11 the number of people who drowned when a boat carrying migrants capsized a day earlier, Serbian police said.
The body of an “irregular migrant” was found on the Bosnian side of the river, Serbia Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said in a statement. He said that authorities believe that the man is the last missing person from Thursday’s tragedy.
The boat was carrying between 25 and 30 migrants when it overturned early Thursday on the Drina. The bodies of 10 people, including a mother and her baby, were found in the river on Thursday, while police said that 18 people made it to land.
The victims include eight people from Syria, two from Egypt and one from Iraq, Dačić said. He said that Serbian police were working to identify and prosecute people smugglers who organized the illegal journey.
Vladan Rankic, who headed the search and rescue team, told The Associated Press that the crossings are very dangerous because of frequent changes in the Drina’s water levels because of the proximity of two hydropower plants.
“It is not safe to cross the river as was attempted yesterday and we all saw what happened,” he said. “It is a dangerous river during the night for those who know it, and it is even more dangerous for those who do not know it.”
Migrants using the so-called Balkan land route in their efforts to reach Western Europe come to Serbia from Bulgaria or North Macedonia before moving on to Hungary, Croatia or Bosnia.
To reach wealthy European countries, people fleeing wars and poverty often turn to people smugglers to take them across borders without authorization. They face multiple dangers along their journeys.
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