At least 15 people lost their lives on Friday in Bosnia due to severe flooding triggered by torrential rains and landslides. This death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams reach the affected villages.
“We have so far discovered 15 bodies in the Jablanica area. Unfortunately, there is a strong likelihood that this will not be the final count,” stated Darko Jukan, spokesperson for the regional government situated between central and southern Bosnia, approximately 70 km southwest of Sarajevo.
The heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours in central Bosnia has resulted in significant flooding and major landslides, particularly impacting Jablanica, about 70 km southwest of Sarajevo. This town, home to approximately 4,000 residents and located near the artificial lake of the same name, has been severely affected. It has been completely cut off from the outside world since Friday morning, with landslides blocking all access routes. Images shared on social media depict roads buried under mounds of mud, leaving the town nearly submerged.
“We cannot enter or exit Jablanica at this time,” reported rescue services in the morning. In Kiseljak, roughly 20 km southwest of Sarajevo, the federal civil protection administration indicated that a large portion of the population is at risk due to the flooding and landslides. Firefighters, police, and public services are actively mobilizing; however, additional assistance is needed to manage the situation and mitigate the impact of the storms and rainfall, civil protection officials announced this morning.
In neighboring Croatia, authorities issued a red flood alert around the port city of Rijeka in Istria and in central parts of the country. In their statement, they warned of potential flooding in several towns, along with anticipated power and water outages.
