Rescuers battle to save dozens of migrants feared trapped in a deadly swamp on the Croatia-Bosnia border, with the interior minister warning some may have died.
ZAGREB: Croatian rescuers battled on Wednesday to save dozens of people, believed to be undocumented migrants, who were stranded in a swampy area on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic expressed fears that some of those stranded near the river may have died while trying to cross the treacherous terrain.
Around 100 rescue workers, including police and firefighters, struggled to reach the group trapped near Babina Greda, about 240 kilometres southeast of Zagreb.
“The terrain is extremely difficult and inaccessible,” Bozinovic told HRT radio, noting that rescuers had managed to reach some of the group.
“Unfortunately, these are situations we have been facing for years,” he added, stating that migrants are losing lives during illegal border crossings.
Croatia, an EU member, 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, according to figures from the EU’s border agency Frontex.
Fourteen migrant deaths were recorded in Croatia in 2025, with at least two people killed while attempting to cross the border already this year.
Since 2014, more than 400 people have been reported dead or missing on the route, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
