At least 14 people died in Bosnia on Friday after flooding caused by heavy rains and landslides, a toll that could rise as relief supplies reach affected villages.
“So far we have found 14 bodies in the Jablanica area. Unfortunately there is a good chance that this will not be the final outcome”Darko Jukan, government spokesperson for this region straddling central and southern Bosnia, about 70km southwest of Sarajevo, told AFP.
Heavy rains in central Bosnia over the past 24 hours have caused flooding and major landslides, particularly in Jablanica, about 70km southwest of Sarajevo.
This town of 4,000 inhabitants, located near the artificial lake of the same name, was particularly affected. It has been cut off from the world since Friday morning, landslides preventing any vehicle from getting as close as possible. In some photos shared on social networks, we can see the road cut by mounds of mud, and the city almost submerged.
“We cannot enter or leave Jablanica at the moment”indicated the emergency services in the morning.
In Kiseljak, about twenty km southwest of Sarajevo, several houses, cars and gardens are underwater, AFP journalists noted.
According to the Federal Civil Protection Administration, a large part of the population is in danger due to floods and landslides.
Firefighters, police and public services are mobilized, but additional help is needed to control the situation and mitigate the consequences of storms and precipitation, civil protection said this morning.
Floods after heavy rains in Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, October 4, 2024 / Rusmir SMAJILHODZIC / AFP
According to a post on X by an official of the Bosnian Croat Muslim entity, Nermin Niksic, “several residents are still stuck in their homes”.
In neighboring Croatia, a red flood alert was issued by authorities around the port of Rijeka, in Istria, and in the center of the country.
In a press release, they warned that flooding could be expected in several towns, as well as power and water outages.
With global warming, the atmosphere contains more and more water vapor, increasing the risk of heavy precipitation events.
