The body of the young man who jumped off a bridge into Lake Gazivode on Sunday has been recovered, Kosovo Police confirmed.
Petrit Fejza, Chief of Operations for the Kosovo Police in the North region, confirmed to KoSSev that the body was located and retrieved today afternoon by members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF/KBS), who joined the search effort earlier today.
Fejza also confirmed that the body has been sent for autopsy.
The victim is reportedly a 33-year-old Albanian man from the diaspora who had returned to his homeland in the north of Kosovo for vacation. He jumped from a bridge in the Kolashin Rocks area of the lake, a location known in recent years as a popular spot for summer swimming and diving, particularly among Albanian visitors.
Despite the bridge’s significant height, such jumps have been a regular occurrence, even promoted on social media and by Kosovo institutions. Police reportedly visited the site frequently.
Scene secured, security forces present
KoSSev reporters on the scene observed that the bridge area had been cordoned off with yellow tape. A KBS truck, part of a convoy escorted to the North this morning by KFOR vehicles, including Latvian troops, was present.
KBS personnel posed freely for the media, while KFOR troops wore masks and avoided showing their faces. Multiple police units, including special forces and emergency vehicles, were also at the scene.
Unofficial reports indicate that acting Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla also visited the site today.
Operation surrounded by controversy and allegations
The search lasted nearly three days. Throughout this time, speculation and accusations circulated widely on social media.
Kosovo journalist Shkumbin Kajtazi claimed in several Facebook posts that the body had already been located using specialized diving equipment, but that the operation was reportedly deliberately delayed to allow for KBS deployment to the North, allegedly for propaganda purposes.
„The government is deliberately delaying the recovery to send the KBS to the North and exploit this tragedy for propaganda,“ he wrote, accusing rescue teams of behaving unprofessionally and the state of ignoring safety measures at the site.
Former Serbian Army Chief of General Staff and now opposition politician Zdravko Ponoš made similar claims, stating that the location of the body had been known and the operation stalled until KBS could be sent with KFOR’s approval.
Utopio se mlad čovek danas na jezeru Gazivode. Prištinske službe nadležne i kompetentne za spasavanje su odmah angažovane. Međutim, rečeno im je da malo prikoče, čak i ako su locirali telo, a izgleda da jesu.
Zašto? Zato da bi Kurti imao povod da zatraži i dobije odobrenje od…— Здравко Понош (@ZdravkoPonos) July 28, 2025
Search and rescue association denied claims of delay
In response to the allegations, the Kosovo Search and Rescue Association yesterday issued a public statement denying that the body had been located prior to today.
„Search efforts are ongoing, and any official information will be provided only by the relevant institutions and teams on the ground,“ the statement read.
They urged the public and media not to share unverified information, citing potential disruption to the rescue efforts. The association also confirmed that they had requested KBS support due to lack of necessary diving equipment.
KBS deployment confirmed and carried out under KFOR mandate
KBS personnel arrived this morning with a boat and equipment as part of a specialized search and rescue diving unit. Their entry to the North was approved and escorted by KFOR, which confirmed yesterday that the operation had been authorized, in line with KFOR’s mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
According to Kosovo Police official Veton Elshani, the local North Directorate had requested additional support from Pristina, citing lack of progress in previous search efforts. „They have better equipment and more experience in such cases,“ he said.
This deployment was met with strong political attention. The ruling Vetëvendosje (Self-Determination) Movement highlighted this morning that KBS were „for the first time acting as an army in the North.“ However, this is not fully accurate.
KBS units had previously conducted search operations in the North, including a 2015 operation on the Ibar River. In 2023, KBS also appeared in the North during the funeral of a former KLA member, without KFOR’s knowledge. Following that event, the Kosovo government submitted written guarantees to NATO that no future KBS deployments would occur without prior KFOR approval.
Under a 2013 agreement between NATO and the Kosovo government, KBS deployments in the North require explicit authorization from the KFOR Commander. These restrictions remain in place, and no reports have emerged confirming whether local Serb authorities were consulted or informed prior to today’s operation.
Nevertheless, Albanian media widely covered the KBS deployment, with some outlets framing it as a landmark moment for „state sovereignty“ in the North.
For the family of the 33-year-old victim, the recovery of his body ends a harrowing three-day wait. The focus now turns to determining the exact circumstances of his death, as well as evaluating the political ramifications of today’s events.
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