According to police, a boat carrying at least 10 Chinese nationals flipped over while crossing the river near the village of Plavna about 125 kilometres (80 miles) northwest of Belgrade.

Police and rescue crews from Croatia and Serbia managed to save nine Chinese nationals but one was pulled dead from the water.

The group are suspected of attempting to illegally cross from Serbia into Croatia, police said.

They said a search operation, involving boats and drones, was ongoing.

Croatia, a member of the European Union, is a major transit country for undocumented migrants trying to reach the political bloc via the so-called Balkan route.

Since 2014, a total of 413 people have died on the route, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Nearly 8,000 Europe-bound migrants took the Balkan route during the first eight months of 2025, according to the EU's border agency Frontex.