CEE rescue teams rally to flood-hit Bosnia

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is receiving crucial assistance from across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as the EU, as rescue teams help tackle the aftermath of severe floods and landslides that hit large parts of the country on Friday, 4 October.

Torrential rain has caused rivers to overflow and entire villages to be buried under rubble in BiH, leaving at least 18 dead and many others injured. BiH authorities declared a state of natural disaster as major transport routes were cut off across the country, and are continuing the search for at least ten missing people, including several from the village of Donja Jablanica, south BiH, which was almost entirely engulfed by a rockslide.

The BiH government announced emergency funds and deployed army units to assist in the disaster zone. Sunday’s local elections were postponed in the country’s flooded areas. BiH Deputy Prime Minister Vojin Mijatovic said “the top priority is saving lives”.

Nearby Zlate was also devastated, and three deaths have been confirmed the village unofficially. Many villages around Kiseljak, Hadzici, Visoko, Fojnica, Konjic and Kresevo ​​are also badly-hit or even cut off.

Civil protection units, Red Cross teams, and Mountain Rescue Service personnel are working alongside the military to reach the worst-hit areas. Croatian and Serbian rescue teams arrived to BiH on Sunday, while Slovenia sent a specialist team with search dogs.

Additional offers of aid have come from Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Czechia, and Turkey. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country is ready to help BiH through the crisis and in the aftermath of the floods.

BiH activates EU mechanism, calls for regional aid

BiH, which became a “candidate country” for EU accession in 2022, meanwhile activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) to receive urgent help from European partners. The Bosnian Security Ministry had sent the request shortly after local authorities declared that the disaster’s magnitude exceeded their capacity to cope.

EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Luigi Soreca tweeted confirmation of the EUCPM activation, and underlined the importance of EU solidarity.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic tweeted that “In response to the deadly floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have deployed rescue teams from Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

“Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Serbia, Albania, Turkey, North Macedonia, and Montenegro have also offered emergency support, including teams, pumps, excavators, generators, and more. This is EU solidarity!” he added.

Landslides entirely cover houses

In Donja Jablanica, where entire homes were engulfed by rocks, one resident told news agency AP that “the houses disappeared before our eyes. “We are all overwhelmed by these flooding events. We all think only about that,” Ismeta Bucalovic from Sarajevo told AP.

Traffic in the south of the country has also been severely hit, with numerous roads completely blocked. Key transport routes, including the road between capital Sarajevo and Mostar, have been rendered unusable due to landslides, complicating rescue efforts, and meaning the only way to get from the two cities is via central Bosnia.

The Civil Protection Administration warned that a large portion of the population remains at risk. Many are injured or missing, with damage continuing to escalate. Darko Juka, head of public relations for the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton said such destruction has not been seen in BiH since the Bosnian war in 1992-95.