Rescue teams from Bosnia's neighbours and European Union countries overnight were joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides that devastated parts of the Balkan country.
Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by devastating floods,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X.
“We have activated our EU Civil Protection Mechanism and are sending rescue teams on the ground. This is EU solidarity in action.”
Officials said that at least 10 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the village of Donja Jablanica, in southern Bosnia, which was almost completely buried in rocks and rubble from a quarry on a hill above.
Residents there have said they heard a thundering rumble and saw houses disappear before their eyes.
A Bosnian soldier inspects a damaged house after floods and landslides in the village of Donja Jablanica, Bosnia. (Source: Associated Press)
“We heard water and rock coming down from the hill. I told my son, 'Let's go up to the attic, we don’t know what’s going to happen'," recalled Munevera Dautbegovic. “In the morning when we got out, we saw large amount of sand around.”
Regional Governor Nermin Niksic visited the village, promising help to rebuild.
“All material damage can be compensated somehow but human lives cannot. Grief will stay on.”
Earlier, Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in Bosnia, said on X that teams were arriving to help. Bosnia is a candidate country for membership in the 27-nation bloc.
Authorities said Croatian rescuers have already arrived while a team from Serbia is expected to be deployed, followed by a Slovenian team with dogs. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Czechia and Turkey have also offered help, a government statement said.
Sunday local time is the date of a local election in Bosnia. Election authorities have postponed voting in the flood-hit regions, but the flooding has overshadowed the vote across the country.
Ismeta Bucalovic, a resident of Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital, said "we are all overwhelmed by these flooding events. We all think only about that".
Impoverished and ethnically divided, Bosnia has struggled to recover after the brutal war in 1992-95. The country is plagued by political bickering and corruption, stalling its EU bid.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
