Bosnia declares state of emergency after at least 21 killed in flooding
Bosnia-Herzegovina (DT) — Flash floods and landslides in central Bosnia-Herzegovina have left at least 16 people dead, with towns and villages cut off and reports in some places of homes being almost submerged.
Some of the worst scenes were in the area around Jablanica, a town on the main route between the cities of Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo, about 70km (40 miles) to the north-east.
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A number of other people have been reported missing and a state of emergency has been declared.
Development minister Vojin Mijatovic said the country had witnessed a terrible disaster and appealed for calm.
Officials from the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton said 13 deaths had been confirmed in the area, rather than 16 as earlier reported.
In the town of Fojnica, three other deaths were confirmed.
Search and rescue work continues, with ten people still unaccounted for in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
Rivers burst their banks after an overnight storm and aerial photos showed many towns and villages left inundated.
Roads, bridges and railway tracks were washed away or blocked by debris, while landslides left houses buried in rocks and earth as high as their upper storeys.
Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.
The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.
“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. “You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”
President of the Central Election Commission, Irena Hadžiabdić, said on Friday that discussions were underway with local electoral commissions in the hardest-hit areas to postpone forthcoming municipal elections.
Around the Europe
Heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighbouring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
It’s a similar picture in Slovenia where heavy rain has caused the Sava, Krka and Kolpa rivers to overflow, flooding several houses in the central village of Kot.
The national meteorological agency ARSAO has warned that more rain is expected and said there is a danger of landslides.
And floods caused were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
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