MADRID 5 Oct. () –
At least 18 people have died and dozens more are missing in central Bosnia due to the floods that have hit especially the city of Jablanica, in the province of Herzegovina-Neretva, which is now practically submerged.
The situation is also serious in the municipalities of Konjic, Kiseljak, Fojnica, Kresevo and Drvar, where the waters are beginning to recede and the true extent of the damage can be assessed, reports Bosnian public television, BHRT.
Thirteen of the deceased correspond to Jablanica. In total there are 15 deaths in the canton of Herzegovina-Neretva, which includes Jablanica, with two more deaths in Buturevic Polje, in Konjic.
There are numerous isolated towns and roads closed mainly between Mostar and Jablanica making movement of emergency services difficult.
Meanwhile, more than 300 volunteers work alongside emergency services to help the population, coordinated by Civil Protection. The authorities have warned that people should not intervene on their own, but rather make themselves available to Civil Protection.
There are also numerous people who have been left homeless and have been housed in hotels or in the homes of friends or relatives. Sports centers have also been set up in which beds have been installed for displaced people or emergency services workers.
The area has been declared the scene of a natural disaster, as has also occurred in the towns of Kiseljak, Kresevo, Fojnica and Vares, as announced by the spokesperson for the Federal Administration for Civil Protection (FUCZ), Majda Kovac.
Regional authorities have expressed their fear that the number of deaths will increase in the coming hours. Without going any further, the Bosnian Minister of Defense, Zukan Helez, has acknowledged to the Raport portal that he handles “unofficial information” that the dead could exceed twenty, although he did not want to ratify this estimate.
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