WorthyNews: More Than Dozen Killed In Bosnia Flooding

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

SARAJEVO/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Rescue teams are searching for survivors in central Bosnia after at least 21 people were killed and scores injured in the deadliest flooding to the nation, which is still recovering from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Vast volumes of rain fell in the area around Donja Jablanica and nearby Konjic, causing sudden flooding that inundated people’s homes as they were sleeping, survivors said.

Construction machines worked to remove piles of rocks and debris covering the central town of Donja Jablanica, about 71 kilometers (44 miles) southwest of Sarajevo, the capital.

Several countries in the Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe were earlier hit by heavy, deadly flooding caused by massive rainfall following a summer with soaring temperatures.

In Bosnia, an overnight storm washed out many roads, railways, and bridges or blocked them with debris, making it impossible to reach some communities until they were cleared.

“There are some villages in the area that still cannot be reached,” said the Mountain Rescue Service. “We don’t know what we will find there.”

HOMES BURIED

Many homes in Donja Jablanica were buried under rubble, which was made worse by a landslide that carried rubble from a quarry above the village.

The rubble destroyed and buried many homes and vehicles, with government officials declaring a state of emergency in the affected area.

Yet help came too late for many, suggested Alka Glusic, 74, who lost a brother and his three immediate family members. She had stayed in another house with her sister. “That (brother’s) house is gone now. There is no one there,” Glusic told reporters.

Nezima Begovic, 62, was lucky: Her house was damaged, but she emerged unhurt.

Rescue workers made clear they still hope to find survivors.

The European Union Force in Bosnia used helicopters and deployed an engineering unit and a special rescue team to help victims. A British special unit that was training in Bosnia also is assisting with recovery efforts, officials said.

The flooding is the latest tragedy in a nation that was torn apart by the 1992-1995 war that killed more than 100,000 people. Additionally, about two million people were moved from their homes during ethnic cleansing campaigns, according to war crimes researchers and the United Nations refugee agency.

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