Ajmal Khan, a 17-year-old Afghan, drowned while crossing the Drina River in Tuzla, the third largest city in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
NPR reports that the deceased was on his migrants, but no one claims—a way to Western Europe to find work.
While it is a fact that thousands of migrants have died or gone missing in Europe, dozens have drowned in the Drina, a river between Bosnia and Serbia, they try to approach the wealthier nations. It is often difficult for relatives to find out what has happened to their loved ones. Bosnian volunteers bury the bodies of migrants no one claims, take bone samples for future DNA testing to confirm the identity of a decedent and help with repatriation or funerals.
Ajmal’s mother is a widow. Her son died on July 31, 2022. Successfully crossing the river would have been a stage of a trek, putting him closer to his dream. He planned to help his mother and two sisters by finding work in one of the wealthier countries in Europe. He left after the Taliban took over the government in Afghanistan in August 2021.
With assistance from human traffickers in Turkey, Ajmal got to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a non-EU country. Migrants believe that border police in Bosnia are not as likely to target migrants who enter illegally as they are in the neighbouring country Croatia, which is in the EU.
Stana Gul Ahmadzai said, “His dream cost him his life. We did not know what to do.”
He is one of the thousands of migrants who die every year on a journey from countries in the Global South to find employment in Western Europe. Many drown while crossing the Mediterranean. Others die while travelling over land.
