Tragedy on the Croatian-Slovenian border: five migrants drown in river, five others rescued

Five migrants lost their lives tragically on Friday on the border between Croatia and Slovenia, drowning as they attempted to cross a river. Five others were rescued.

Authorities were alerted after a group of people, believed to be migrants, were spotted in the Kupa River, about 90 kilometers southwest of Zagreb.

Police and residents rescued five foreigners, but five others drowned, Croatian police said in a statement, without specifying their nationalities.

“The group consisted of nearly twenty people, 14 of whom managed to cross the river and are on Slovenian territory,” Croatian police explained.

Croatia lies on a route used by irregular migrants trying to reach Western Europe through the Balkans.

More than 12,500 people took the “Balkan route” in 2025, according to data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) — a figure down 42% compared with 2024.

Since 2014, more than 400 people have died or gone missing while traveling along this route, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is part of the UN system.