An Afghan migrant, age 17, drowned in a Bosnian river. Here's how citizens responded

A photo of Ajmal Khan on his way to Western Europe to find work, taken by a travel companion and sent by Khan to his family in Afghanistan via WhatsApp. The 17-year-old drowned when crossing the Drina River in Tuzla, the third largest city in Bosnia-Herzegovina — part of a common route for migrants as they headed toward wealthier European countries. (Courtesy of the family)

Thousands of migrants have died or gone missing in Europe — many of them in the Western Balkans. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, dozens of migrants have drowned in the Drina, a river between Bosnia and Serbia, as they try to reach wealthier nations. It is hard for relatives to find out what happened to their loved one. Bosnian volunteers try to help. They arrange to bury the bodies of migrants no one claims, take bone samples for future DNA testing to confirm the identity of a decedent and help with repatriation or funerals.

BIJELJINA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — "His mother begged me to find his body, so that his family could give him a proper funeral at home, in Afghanistan," says Stana Gul Ahmadzai, age 32, of Kabul. "But I had no idea where to start."