Five believed to be migrants drown crossing Croatia-Slovenia border river

Five people believed to be migrants drowned on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, while crossing the Kupa River on the Croatia-Slovenia border. Croatian police said a call came at 3:30 p.m. reporting a group of about 20 near Damalj. An officer jumped in and, with another officer and local residents, rescued five people. Fourteen swam across and reached Slovenia. Police and firefighters kept searching the area. A criminal investigation is underway. Victim nationalities are not yet known. The Kupa, called Kolpa in Slovenian, lies about 90 km southwest of Zagreb and forms part of the border. Croatia joined the EU in 2013 and Schengen in 2023 and sits on the Western Balkan route. Frontex recorded more than 12,500 people on the route in 2025, down 42 percent from 2024, and about 5,700 intercepted January-August, 28 percent fewer than a year earlier. No contested claims found. No left-rated coverage was found; right-rated coverage came from The Star.