As of: October 4th, 2024 1:33 p.m
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, exceptional rainfall has caused severe flooding and landslides. At least 14 people have died and several are missing. There are also warnings about floods in Croatia.
At least 14 people have died in violent floods and landslides in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A regional government spokesman said the 14 bodies were found in the Jablanica region, about 70 kilometers southwest of Sarajevo. The number of deaths will probably rise.
“The situation is very serious, many people cannot leave their homes,” wrote Nermin Niksic, Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the online service X.
According to rescue workers, the town of Jablanica, which has a population of 4,000, was inaccessible. Photos in local media show landslides that have buried houses up to the roof. Only the minaret was visible of a mosque.
Unusually heavy rainfall
In the town of Kiseljak, about 20 kilometers northwest of Sarajevo, numerous houses, gardens and cars were under water, according to journalists from the AFP news agency. Firefighters, police and rescue workers were on duty.
Rescue services in the south of the country reported several missing people and asked volunteers and the military for assistance.
There had been unusually heavy rainfall in the region in the past 24 hours. Neighboring Croatia issued a flood warning for the coastal city of Rijeka and the interior.
Scientists agree that extreme weather phenomena are increasing as a result of man-made climate change.
