ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A boat carrying migrants overturned on the Una River in western Croatia early on Monday, killing at least one person, officials said.

The accident happened near the town of Hrvatska Kostajnica on the border with Bosnia. Migrants were apparently trying to cross the river in cold weather when their boat capsized, rescuers told HRT state television.

Police said a man from Bosnia, who was rescued, was suspected of people smuggling.

Index portal said some seven to eight Chinese nationals were believed to be on the boat that capsized. Police did not specify their nationalities.

People fleeing violence or poverty in Asia, Middle East or Africa often face perils as they try to reach Western Europe with the help of people smugglers, who guide them over the borders illegally.

Migrants enter Croatia, a European Union member state, either from Bosnia or Serbia. The countries lie on the so-called Balkan land route for migrants leading from Turkey or Greece and through North Macedonia.

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