Torrential rains triggered devastating floods and landslides across central Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, killing at least 14 people and leaving others missing in what officials describe as the country’s worst flooding since 2014.
The municipality of Jablanica, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Sarajevo, bore the brunt of the disaster. The area was completely cut off after floodwaters and landslides destroyed road and railway links.
“At least 14 dead were found in the Jablanica area,” said Darko Jukan, a spokesman for the cantonal government. “There are a lot of people reported missing. In some cases, only parts of roofs can be seen. I cannot remember a crisis of such magnitude since the 1992-1995 war.”
Bosnia’s inter-ethnic presidency requested military assistance for the wider Jablanica region. Engineers, rescue units, and a helicopter were deployed, including to evacuate 17 people from a mental hospital.
The town of Kiseljak in central Bosnia was inundated after a river burst its banks, with floodwaters reaching the doors of businesses and homes. Drone footage showed widespread flooding, though water levels began to recede by Friday afternoon.
“There is information about casualties and a number of injured and missing,” the Civil Defense of the Bosniak-Croat Federation said in a statement, suggesting the death toll could rise.
The flooding appears to be the worst to hit Bosnia since 2014 when more than 20 people died. Neighboring countries, including Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, also issued severe weather warnings as the storm system moved across the Balkans.
