|
Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm overnight on
Friday 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.
“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 Gov. Nermin Niksic visited the village on Sunday,
promising help to rebuild. “All material damage can be
compensated somehow but human lives cannot. Grief will stay on.”
Earlier on Sunday, Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in
Bosnia, said on X that teams wer 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 in the afternoon,
followed by a Slovenian team with dogs. Montenegro, North
Macedonia, Poland, Czechia and Turkey have also offered help, a
government statement said.
Sunday 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.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
