Associated Press
A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia and Herzegovina overnight into Friday, killing at least 14 people and flooding several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the Balkan nation.
Drone footage broadcast by Bosnian news outlets showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
Photos showed that one of the busiest roads linking the capital, Sarajevo, with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica had been swept into a river along with a railway line in a huge landslide.
“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides,” the civic protection service said.
Heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and Zagreb, the capital, prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic on the southern Adriatic coast, and flash floods resulting from heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
And floods caused by torrential rains were reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall, because warm air can carry more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land had hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Rescue services in southern Bosnia reported that several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist, with roads closed and houses left without electricity.
Darko Jukan, a spokesman for the local administration in Jablanica, said that at least 14 people had died in the flooding, and Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops had been engaged to help.
“Hour after hour, we are receiving news about new victims,” Mr. Hezel said, adding, “We sent everyone we could. Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are.”
Rescue services in Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and cellphone service was down. The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible, because roads and train lines were closed.
The state rescue service urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.
The authorities also urged people to stay on upper floors. Reports said that surging waters had swept away cars and domestic animals as the water swiftly filled up the lower floors of buildings.