The number of illegal migrants who have been registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of the year has climbed to more than 20,000, including about 500 children, Bosnia's Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, Semiha Borovac, said on Tuesday in the northwest town of Cazin.

On Tuesday Borovac visited the Una-Sana Canton in northwest Bosnia where the largest number of migrants is currently located, hoping to cross into Croatia and continue their journey towards Western Europe.

Amid the influx, the former Sedra Hotel in Cazin has been converted into an accommodation centre with a capacity for 400 people, and was adapted in particular to accommodate families with children, as well as unaccompanied minors.

Borovac warned that a large number of migrants belong to these vulnerable categories and require special care.

“We are quite concerned because of that,” Borovac said, adding that steps have been taken to ensure that all migrants have access to approproate accommodation and health care to prevent any possible outbreaks of contagious diseases.

Borovac confirmed that so far €8.2 million in EU funding has been earmarked to assist the country in tackling the migrant crisis, and that the funding is managed by the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

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