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Severe Flooding and Landslides Kills 18 People in Bosnia and Herzegovina (VIDEO)

October 6, 2024

08:48 GMT

Photo: Reuters

Severe Flooding and Landslides Kills 18 People in Bosnia and Herzegovina (VIDEO)

October 6, 2024

08:48 GMT

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Central Bosnia-Herzegovina has been hit hard by flash floods and landslides, killing at least 18 people and disconnecting towns and villages, with many homes being almost completely submerged underwater.

Jablanica, which is about 70km northeast of Sarajevo on the main road from Mostar, saw some of the worst destruction.

Minister Vojin Mijatović called this one of the country’s worst natural disasters ever and urged everyone to stay calm.

In the Jablanica area, search and rescue teams are still looking for over a dozen individuals who remain missing.

https://youtu.be/146wAA5glsA?si=gQpjZNRBbpoXKJCy
The area worst hit by flash floods and landslides was around Jablanica – YouTube/Al Jazeera.

This Sunday, two more bodies were found by rescue teams in Donja Jablanica.

Heavy rains from a nearby quarry set off a landslide that buried houses, with water rising up to the rooftops of some buildings.

Rescue teams are working to remove mud from these homes, and help has come from Serbia, Croatia, and North Macedonia, with more help on the way from other EU nations.

On Saturday, officials in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton revised the death toll in the area to 13, down from an earlier report of 16.

An overnight storm caused rivers to overflow, inundating towns and villages.

The damage extended to roads, bridges, and railway tracks, which were either washed away or completely blocked.

Landslides buried houses under rocks and soil, covering them up to their second or third floors.

In Jablanica and surrounding villages, scenes of extensive flooding were prevalent.

The main M-17 route next to the River Neretva was littered with debris near Jablanica, and a 17km stretch of railway suffered significant damage between Ostrozac and Grabovica to the west, with one 200m section of track left completely in the air.

Local authorities in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton have advised drivers to avoid dangerous roads around Jablanica.

A homeowner near the Neretva river described how their home flooded suddenly at 03:30 on Friday, forcing them to quickly rescue their son and flee to neighbors’ homes as their house fell apart.

Torrential floods hit the streets near Kiseljak, west of the capital, submerging cars and small trucks.

Over in Montenegro, floods washed away roads, cutting off the village of Komarnica.

River levels rose across Croatia, raising the threat of floods near Karlovac along the Kupa river.

Last month, Central Europe also dealt with severe flooding, particularly in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania.

The World Weather Attribution group said this was due to the heaviest four-day rainfall ever documented in the region, made worse by climate change.

According to the Copernicus climate service, Europe is experiencing rapid warming, with the past five years being about 2.3°C warmer than in the late 1800s.

SNNW Staff

SNNW's journalists report the news in countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

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