Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the Croatia‑Slovenia border
Two police officers rescued ten people as an investigation into the incident began
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the Croatia‑Slovenia border
Photograph: enikos.gr (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Five migrants drowned while trying to cross the Kupa/Kolpa river at the Croatia‑Slovenia border.
- A police officer jumped into the river and rescued five other migrants.
- Around twenty migrants attempted the crossing; fourteen reached Slovenia, five were rescued, and five died.
- Croatian police have opened an investigation into the incident.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 23 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 42 of the 65 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
62/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
15/100
65 sources · methodology
Missing from the right
Only 4 of the 23 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Croatian police reported that a group of roughly twenty migrants tried to cross the Kupa River, which forms part of the border with Slovenia, on Friday afternoon. The river is known as Kolpa in Slovenia. Five of the migrants drowned during the attempt.
A police officer who arrived first at the scene entered the water and helped pull five other migrants to safety. The remaining migrants continued across the border, with fourteen reaching Slovenian territory.
The police statement said an investigation into the circumstances of the crossing is now underway. No further details about the victims or the exact cause of the drownings were released at the time of reporting.
“"An officer who arrived first at the scene jumped into the river, which is called Kolpa in Slovenia, police said."”
~20
Migrants who attempted the crossing
Approximately twenty people were involved, according to police statements and multiple digests.
What the coverage left out
None of the left‑rated reports mentioned the Balkan migration route or the reasons migrants undertake the journey. The right‑rated report did not note that Croatian police have opened an investigation into the incident.
Coverage settled. We checked this 13 times and stopped on 1 Oct 2026, 06:00. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
9 rated outlets
- All five left‑rated outlets reported that five migrants drowned while attempting to cross the Kupa River and that a police officer rescued five others. The in.gr digest described the people as "a group of people, allegedly migrants," highlighting the uncertainty about their status. None of the left‑rated reports mentioned the broader Balkan migration route or the reasons migrants undertake the journey.
Centre
10 rated outlets
- The five centre‑rated outlets all carried the core facts of five deaths, five rescues and the police officer’s intervention. The My Mother Lode full report added that the incident occurred on the Balkan land route used by migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, providing contextual background absent from the other centre digests.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The single right‑rated outlet reproduced the basic facts: five migrants drowned, a police officer jumped into the river, and five others were rescued. It did not include any mention of the broader migration context or the ongoing investigation.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the…?
- Of the 23 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 39% are rated left, 44% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 65. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 23 rated outlets on this story, 39% are rated left, 44% are rated centre, 17% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the… biased?
- Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the Croatia‑Slovenia border is one event reported by 65 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Five migrants drown while crossing the Kupa/Kolpa river on the…?
- 65 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How many migrants died in the river crossing?
- Five migrants drowned while trying to cross the Kupa/Kolpa river at the Croatia‑Slovenia border, according to statements from Croatian police and reported by all outlets covering the incident.
- How many migrants were rescued and who performed the rescue?
- Five migrants were rescued after a police officer who arrived first at the scene jumped into the river and helped pull them to safety. The rescue was carried out by the officer with assistance from other responders.
- What river did the incident occur on and what are its two names?
- The incident took place on the river known as Kupa in Croatia and Kolpa in Slovenia, which forms part of the natural border between the two countries.
- Is there an investigation into the drownings?
- Croatian police have opened a criminal investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the drownings, as noted in later digests and statements.
Read it at the source
65 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
9- Heavy Rain on the Croatian-Slovenian Border, 5 Migrants Drown in the River (opens Telegrafi in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown at the Croatian-Slovenian Border (opens in.gr in a new tab)
- Five People Drowned in the Kolpa River (opens Delo in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown at the Border with Slovenia (opens Novinky.cz in a new tab)
Novinky.cz — is Novinky.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
10- Five People Drown on the Croatian-Slovenian Border (opens 15min.lt in a new tab)
- PHOTO Objavljene Slike Jučerašnje Akcije Spašavanja Nesretnih Migranata. Petero Ih Izgubilo žIvot U Kupi (opens Novi list in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown in Kolpa River, 15 Cross Border (opens 24ur.com in a new tab)
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens coasttv.com in a new tab)
coasttv.com — is coasttv.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens Rutland Herald in a new tab)
Rutland Herald — is Rutland Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens Ottumwa Courier in a new tab)
Ottumwa Courier — is Ottumwa Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
4- Croatian Police Pull Bodies of Five Migrants From Kolpa River (opens nova24tv.si in a new tab)
nova24tv.si — is nova24tv.si biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five drown while crossing river on Croatia-Slovenia border (opens The Star Kuala Lumpur in a new tab)
The Star Kuala Lumpur — is The Star Kuala Lumpur biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 5 migrants drown while crossing from Croatia to Slovenia (opens Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer in a new tab)
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer — is Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy Along the Border, Several People Drowned in the Kupa River (opens Origo in a new tab)
Not rated
42- Five Migrants Drowned in the Koupas River (opens Documento in a new tab)
- Disaster in the River on the Border Between Croatia and Slovenia: Five Migrants Drown (opens lrytas.lt in a new tab)
- 5 Migrants Drowned in River at the Croatian-Slovenian Border, 5 Others Saved (opens nachrichten.at in a new tab)
nachrichten.at — is nachrichten.at biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy on the Croatian-Slovenian Border: Five Migrants Drown in the Kupa River (opens Pentapostagma in a new tab)
Pentapostagma — is Pentapostagma biased? Our profile of this outlet
- They Tried to Cross the Border River. Five People Died. (opens Polsat News in a new tab)
Polsat News — is Polsat News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy in Croatia. Five Migrants Die. (opens Gazeta in a new tab)
- Tragedy on the Kolpa River: Five People Died While Trying to Cross the River (opens Lokalec.si in a new tab)
Lokalec.si — is Lokalec.si biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five Migrants Dead on Croatian-Slovenian Border (opens ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 in a new tab)
ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 — is ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 34 more
- Five Migrants Dead at Croatia-Slovenia Border - They Drowned While Crossing a River (opens NewsBomb in a new tab)
- Tragedy on the Croatian-Slovenian Border: Five Migrants Drown in the Kupa River (opens enikos.gr in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Dead on the "Balkan Route" Between Croatia and Slovenia (opens ertnews.gr in a new tab)
ertnews.gr — is ertnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- HORROR ON THE BORDER OF CROATIA AND SLOVENIA Five People Drowned, the Policeman Jumped Into the Cold River After Them (opens kurir.rs in a new tab)
- 5 Migrants Drowned in Croat-Slovenian Border River (opens vienna.at in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown in the Kupa River in Croatia, Police Officer Manages to Save Five Others (opens Klix in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown While Crossing the River Linking Croatia to Slovenia (opens Correio da Manhã in a new tab)
Correio da Manhã — is Correio da Manhã biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy on the Border of Slovenia and Croatia: Migrants Drown While Trying to Cross the River (opens topky.sk in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown in River on Croatian-Slovenian Border, Twenty Others Survive (opens iDNES.cz in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa: Police and Firefighters Are Searching for People Who Crossed the River (opens srpskainfo.com in a new tab)
srpskainfo.com — is srpskainfo.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five Migrants Drown in River on Croatia-Slovenia Border (opens Aktuálně.cz in a new tab)
Aktuálně.cz — is Aktuálně.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five Migrants Drown in River on Croatia-Slovenia Border - Seznam Zprávy (opens seznamzpravy.cz in a new tab)
seznamzpravy.cz — is seznamzpravy.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five Migrants Drown While Trying to Cross the Croatian-Slovenian Border (opens Dnevnik in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown in Croatia (opens Avaz.ba in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown While Trying to Cross the Kolpa River (opens siol.net in a new tab)
- Na hranici mezi Chorvatskem a Slovinskem zahynulo pět migrantů, utonuli v řece (opens Deník.cz in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa, a Policeman Jumped Into the River and Saved Five More (opens glasistre.hr in a new tab)
glasistre.hr — is glasistre.hr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Petero Migranata Drowned in Kupi, Petoricu Skokom U Rijeku Spasio Policajac (opens Radiotelevizija Herceg-Bosne in a new tab)
Radiotelevizija Herceg-Bosne — is Radiotelevizija Herceg-Bosne biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five People Drown in Croatian-Slovenian Border River (opens kleinezeitung.at in a new tab)
kleinezeitung.at — is kleinezeitung.at biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy on Kupa: Five Migrants Drowned, Brave Policeman Saves Five (opens jabuka.tv in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa, Five Were Saved by a Policeman by Jumping Into the River - Croatian Media Service - Now I Know More! (opens Hrvatski Medijski Servis in a new tab)
Hrvatski Medijski Servis — is Hrvatski Medijski Servis biased? Our profile of this outlet
- CROATIA: Five Migrants Drowned in the River, Five Were Saved by a Policeman by Jumping Into the River (opens Fenix Magazin in a new tab)
Fenix Magazin — is Fenix Magazin biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Horror at the Border: Five Dead when Crossing the Kupa, Policemen and Citizens Pulled the Survivors Out of the Water (opens vecernji.ba in a new tab)
vecernji.ba — is vecernji.ba biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Terrible Tragedy on Kupa: Five Migrants Drowned, Police Officers and Citizens Saved the Others (opens Telegram.hr in a new tab)
Telegram.hr — is Telegram.hr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Drama on Kupa: A Policeman Jumped Into the River and Saved People, Five Drowned (opens dalmacijadanas.hr in a new tab)
dalmacijadanas.hr — is dalmacijadanas.hr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Tragedy on Kupa: Policemen Rescued Migrants, Five of Them Drowned (opens Slobodna Dalmacija in a new tab)
Slobodna Dalmacija — is Slobodna Dalmacija biased? Our profile of this outlet
- TRAGEDY: Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa, 14 of Them Managed to Cross to Slovenia (opens Dalmatinski portal in a new tab)
Dalmatinski portal — is Dalmatinski portal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five People Drowned in the Kupa River in Croatia (opens n1info.rs in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa (opens Večernji list in a new tab)
Večernji list — is Večernji list biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa (opens Telegraf in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa! The Policeman Jumped Into the River and Pulled Out Others, Saving Five People (opens 24sata.hr in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drowned in Kupa (opens Net.hr in a new tab)
- Five Migrants Drown in River on Croatia-Slovenia Border (opens Hospodárske Noviny in a new tab)
Hospodárske Noviny — is Hospodárske Noviny biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Horror Near Severin Na Kupi: Police and Citizens Rescue Migrants. Five drowned... - Croatia Today (opens hrvatska-danas.com in a new tab)
hrvatska-danas.com — is hrvatska-danas.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
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