“His dead body is in the water right now” – death, survival, and hypermobility along the Balkan Route

This article examines the deaths of migrants in the expansive natural landscapes of the Balkans, which are framed here as “weaponized landscapes” and, consequently, as integral components of border security. During the forced traversal of these landscapes, individuals seeking protection are exposed to great suffering, (re)traumatization, and even death. The discussion also considers the preconditions for such fatalities, primarily the precarious conditions in (in)formal camps across the Balkans and the illegal pushbacks carried out by border officials. Drawing upon the extant academic discourse surrounding camps and mobility studies, this article argues that these preconditions render migrants in the region hypermobilized. In a state of survival, these migrants often opt for increasingly risky routes, further driving their clandestine and illegalized escape across the borders of the European Union.