Seven held in Kosovo after migrants drown
Kosovo and EU police arrested seven people on Wednesday in connection with the death of illegal migrants whose boat sank in a river between Hungary and Serbia two months ago, police said.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, December 17, 2009
About 15 Kosovo Albanians including a one-year-old baby were trying to cross into the European Union when their boat sank in the Tisa River between Serbia and Hungary.
Eleven bodies were recovered. The fate of the other four is unknown.
"The individuals were taken into custody following a series of police operations on Wednesday morning," the European Union police and justice mission (EULEX) said in a statement.
The suspects were charged with smuggling migrants and organized crime, an EULEX spokesman said. They are suspected of having taken money from the victims and organized their journey.
The raids were carried in five towns across the province.
Kosovo is one of the poorest regions in Europe with a 40 percent unemployment rate.
Around 30,000 young people enter the job market every year and many leave the province, most often illegally, by paying 2,000-3,000 euros ($2,900-4,350) to human traffickers in their effort to build a better life mainly in EU countries.
