Croatian emergency services rescue 30 migrants after boats capsize on Sava River
- by croatiaweek
- in News
(Photo: HGSS)
A major overnight rescue operation on the Sava River in eastern Croatia has saved around 30 migrants after their boats capsized in difficult conditions, Croatian authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking at the government session, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said the incident occurred during the night when boats carrying migrants overturned after hitting marshland in the river.
Authorities launched an urgent rescue operation, working through the night in challenging terrain.
“At this stage there are no confirmations of fatalities. Everyone who has been pulled from the river is safe and receiving care,” Plenković said.
Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Davor Božinović confirmed that 30 migrants were rescued and prevented from suffering severe hypothermia thanks to the swift intervention of emergency services.
According to officials, the migrants – citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – were attempting to cross the border illegally when the incident occurred.
They were found in an extremely inaccessible and flooded area between the villages of Štitar and Babina Greda in eastern Croatia.
The rescue operation began at 1:42 am after authorities received a report that dozens of people were stranded in a flooded woodland area between the river embankment and the Sava.
Multiple Croatian emergency services took part in the complex operation, including members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) from the Vinkovci station, police, civil protection teams, firefighters, emergency medical services and the Red Cross.
Joint efforts from the different rescue units enabled the evacuation of dozens of people from the flooded terrain.
Additional HGSS teams and specialised water rescue units were also dispatched to assist with the operation.
Eight of the rescued migrants were transported to hospitals in Vinkovci, Vukovar and Slavonski Brod for treatment.
The remaining individuals were taken to the police station in Županja, where authorities are conducting administrative procedures to determine their identities and the circumstances of their attempted border crossing.
