A violent rainstorm has hit Bosnia, leaving at least 14 people dead following floods and landslides in several towns and villages in the center and south of the country.
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Rescue services in the south of the country reported several people missing and called on volunteers and the army to help as roads were closed and homes without power.
Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration, said at least 14 people had died in the town of Jablanica and its surroundings.
« These are the ones that were discovered by rescuers “, he said. “ We do not yet know the final results.»
« I don’t remember such a crisis since the war Juka said, referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins. “The scale of this chaotic situation is frightening.
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told regional television N1 that troops had been brought in to help and casualties had been reported.
Helez stated that “ Every hour we receive information about new victims. Our first priority is to rescue the people alive and buried in the houses where the landslides occurred. »
A pregnant woman lost her baby after being rescued from floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional center of Mostar. Authorities said doctors were also fighting for his survival. In addition, a child was rescued and hospitalized, according to local authorities.
The electricity network out of service
Emergency services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said electricity was cut overnight and cell phones lost signal.
The Jablanica fire station said the town was completely inaccessible as roads and train lines were closed.
« The police informed us that the railway line was also blocked “, the state rescue service said in a statement. “ It is impossible to enter or exit Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones work, but cell phones have no signal.»
Emergency services have asked the population not to venture into the flooded streets.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of precipitation because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, leading to a drought. According to scientists, drying out of the land has hampered the absorption of flood waters.
Submerged cities
Drone footage broadcast by Bosnian media shows villages and towns completely submerged in water, while videos posted on social media show dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
Photos show that one of the busiest roads connecting Sarajevo to the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river along with a railway line during a huge landslide.
« Many people are in danger due to high water and landslides. We have information on the victims and on many injured and missing “, declared the civil protection service.
The authorities asked the population to stay on the upper floors. According to reports, rising waters swept away pets and cars as water quickly filled the lower floors of buildings.
Heavy rain and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Strong winds hampered traffic along the southern Adriatic coast, and flash flooding caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Flooding caused by torrential rains was also reported in Montenegro, southern Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and houses were flooded.