Migrants injured near Bosnia border with Croatia

Most have minor injuries but six have been transferred to a hospital for treatment

SARAJEVO: A group of migrants were injured near Bosnia's border with Croatia and are receiving medical care, local media and police said on Wednesday, without elaborating on the nature of the incident.

Some 5,000 migrants are camped out in northwest Bosnia, hoping to continue westward and enter European Union (EU) member state Croatia.

While many eventually manage to slip through, migrants are also routinely pushed back by police, sometimes violently, according to watchdogs.

Regional broadcaster N1 reported that 18 migrants sustained injuries and were admitted to a medical clinic on Tuesday night.

Most had minor injuries but six have been transferred to a hospital, N1 said, citing a spokesperson for the facility in Velika Kladusa.

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"I can confirm that an incident has occurred, but I don't know the number of migrants involved in this incident," local police spokesperson Ale Siljdedic told AFP.

A border police spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Since 2018 Bosnia has become a key transit point on a route funneling migrants towards Western Europe.

Last year some 25,000 migrants from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia trudged through the mountainous and poor country.

Bosnian police estimate some 15,000 have already managed to continue onwards this year, despite a surge in police presence on the Croatian side of the border.

Zagreb denies any police abuse against migrants and says it is protecting its border from illegal entries.