KISELJAK, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 4th October, 2024 (WAM) -- A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 14 people and flooding several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, the Associated Press reported.
Rescue services in the south of the country reported several people missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.
Darko Jukan, a spokesman for the local administration in the southern town of Jablanica, said at least 14 people had died.
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air can carry more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged underwater, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic in the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.