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Bosnian border police have detained nearly 100 migrants, including a large number of Bangladeshis, while they were allegedly preparing to cross into European Union member state Croatia.
The migrants were detained in two separate operations on Wednesday near Bistrica in northern Bosnia, police said on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the border police, 63 migrants were detained in the first operation. They included 23 Bangladeshi nationals and 40 Pakistanis.
In a second operation in the same area, police detained another 33 migrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Authorities did not specify how many Bangladeshis were among the second group.
Police said the migrants had been preparing to use two boats to cross the Sava River near the border. Both boats were seized.
Authorities also identified two suspected human smugglers believed to be involved in the attempted illegal crossing.
Irregular migrants frequently use the Balkan route in an attempt to enter European Union countries, with Bosnia serving as a key transit country along the route.
According to data from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, more than 4,900 irregular border crossings were recorded along the Balkan route during the first seven months of this year.
However, the number of illegal crossings was 26 percent lower than during the same period last year.