Three police officers were injured and a police car damaged when a clash involving dozens of migrants emerged Tuesday night in a reception centre in the northwestern Bosnian town of Velika Kladusa, police confirmed for N1.

Security officers who protect the migrant reception centre reported the incident within the facilities Tuesday late night, which caused immediate police intervention.

After they arrived at the site, the police tried to set up the peace and order but the migrants confronted them.

“A larger group of migrants then physically attacked the police officers, attacking them with glass bottles, stones, metal bars and preventing them to do their duty,” said police spokesperson Ale Siljdedic.

Velika Kladusa and Cazin precincts sent reinforcements around 4:30 am when they finally managed to put the situation under control.

According to Siljdedic, some 20 migrants were arrested and at least six of them will be deported from the canton or possibly from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“A larger number of migrants sustained injuries. We were informed they suffered minor injuries,” said Siljdedic.

The police are supervising the facilities accommodating migrants due to the still ongoing tensions.

According to official data, over 6,000 illegal migrants entered the country with dozens of thousands roaming on its territory, mostly in its northwestern areas.

The northwestern Una-Sana region has been affected the most with the ongoing migrant crisis, with thousands of foreign nationals being accommodated in temporary shelters in Bihac and Velika Kladusa.

After several incidents involving the migrants, locals said their safety was jeopardised which triggered the authorities to react.

The migrants hope to eventually cross the European Union borders and continue their journey, but since Croatia keeps its border closed for illegal migrants they are stranded in the Una-Sana region, which borders Croatia.