Death toll rises to 11 after boat capsizes on Drina River

BELGRADE/SARAJEVO, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) — The death toll has risen to 11 after a boat carrying illegal migrants capsized on the Drina River between Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia on Wednesday, BiH’s border rescue team said on Friday.
The body of an eleventh victim was found on the left bank of the Drina River, within the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a tragic boat incident, Serbia’s Interior Ministry confirmed in a press release issued Friday afternoon.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said the number of fatalities corresponds to the reported missing people.
Nevertheless, authorities from both sides confirmed that police departments and diving teams remain on the scene and are continuing the search.
Late Wednesday night, a boat carrying approximately 30 migrants overturned on the Drina River while crossing from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbian police said that 18 people survived the incident, including 10 minors.
The Drina River constitutes a large part of the boundary that separates BiH to the west from Serbia to the east.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex reported a significant decrease in illegal border crossings in the Western Balkans during the first half of 2024. The illegal crossings towards European Union borders reached 12,407 between January and July 2024, a 75 percent drop compared to the same period last year. ■