Croatian river border: Dozens of migrants including Pakistanis rescued

ZAGREB: Croatian emergency crews on Wednesday rescued around 30 migrants stranded in marshland near a river while crossing the country’s border with Bosnia, officials said.

Amid fears some may have died during the crossing, searches continued through the area, but no bodies were immediately found.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told a government session it was believed the migrants’ boats had flipped overnight after hitting marshy part of the river, leaving them stuck in a remote area.

“At this stage, there are no confirmations of fatalities. Everyone who has been pulled from the river is safe and receiving care,” Plenkovic said.

According to the interior ministry, eight people were taken to the hospital, mostly suffering from hypothermia.

The group were mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told reporters.

Around 100 rescue workers, including police and firefighters, worked through extremely difficult terrain to reach the migrants trapped near Babina Greda, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) southeast of Zagreb.

Authorities were investigating the suspected illegal crossing, including whether any smugglers were involved, Bozinovic said.

In 2025, 14 migrant deaths were recorded in Croatia, with at least two killed while attempting to cross the border this year.

EU member Croatia is a major transit country for undocumented migrants trying to reach Europe through the Balkans.

In 2025, more than 12,500 Europe-bound migrants took the Balkan route, figures from the EU’s border agency Frontex show.

Since 2014, more than 400 people have been reported dead or missing on the route, according to the International Organisation for Migration.