EURONEWS Bosnia declares state of emergency after at least 21 killed in flooding Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke near the town of Fojnica, October 4, 2024 By Euronews with AP, EBU Published on 05/10/2024 - 3:41 GMT+2•Updated 11:47

 EURONEWS 

Bosnia declares state of emergency after at least 21 killed in flooding

Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke near the town of Fojnica, October 4, 2024

Copyright Robert Oroz/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

By Euronews with AP, EBU

Published on 05/10/2024 - 3:41 GMT+2•Updated 11:47

Rescue teams in the south said several people were still missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist with search and rescue operations.

Rescue teams on Saturday searched for those still missing after flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least 21 people and injuring scores more.

Construction machines worked to remove piles of rocks and debris covering the central town of Jablanica after the rainstorm early on Friday.

Huge quantities of rain fell in the area around Jablanica and nearby Konjic, causing sudden floods that broke into people's homes as they were sleeping.

Surging waters also triggered landslides that collapsed roads and hills, covering villages in mud and cutting off entire areas.

Bosnian media are reporting that rocks from a nearby quarry fell on the village of Donja Jablanica, burying houses.

Officials have said at least 10 are still missing while dozens have been injured.

Rescuers sealed off Jablanica, banning any entry for outsiders while the search took place. Some houses were submerged up to their roofs and as the water withdrew, rescuers could be seen walking over piles of rubble left behind.

Members of the mountain rescue service and civil defence conduct search and rescue operations in the area destroyed by a landslide in Donja Jablanica, October 4, 2024Armin Durgut/Copyright 2023 The AP

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Near the town of Konjic that was also hit by the storm, officials said some villages remained cut off on Saturday.

“Kilometres of roads no longer exist, nearly all bridges have been destroyed,” Husein Hodzic from the local civil protection unit told regional N1 television. “There is no electricity, all power poles have been swept away. There are no phone lines.”

Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.

Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.

The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.

"The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. "You can't get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal."

President of the Central Election Commission, Irena Hadžiabdić, said on Friday that discussions were underway with local electoral commissions in the hardest-hit areas to postpone forthcoming municipal elections.

Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke 50kms west of Sarajevo, October 4, 2024

Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke 50kms west of Sarajevo, October 4, 2024AP Photo

Bosnians are due to go to the polls across the country on Sunday to vote for mayors and local councillors.

Hadžiabdić said it hadn't been decided yet whether to postpone the elections nationwide or only in flooded areas and that a final decision would be made on Saturday.

Video posted on X meanwhile showed that the main road between Sarajevo and the city of Mostar has been washed away by flooding near Jablanica.

Around the region

Heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighbouring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.

It's a similar picture in Slovenia where heavy rain has caused the Sava, Krka and Kolpa rivers to overflow, flooding several houses in the central village of Kot.

The national meteorological agency ARSAO has warned that more rain is expected and said there is a danger of landslides.

And floods caused were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.