Int’l rescue teams arrive in Bosnia after devastating floods

SARAJEVO

Rescue teams from Bosnia's neighbors and European Union countries on Monday were joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides that devastated parts of the Balkan country.

Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm over the weekend left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by devastating floods,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X.

“We have activated our EU Civil Protection Mechanism and are sending rescue teams on the ground. This is EU solidarity in action.”

Officials said that at least 10 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the village of Donja Jablanica, in southern Bosnia, which was almost completely buried in rocks and rubble from a quarry on a hill above.

Residents there have said they heard a thundering rumble and saw houses disappear before their eyes.

On Oct. 6, Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in Bosnia, said on X that teams were arriving to help. Bosnia is a candidate country for membership in the 27-nation bloc.

Authorities said Croatian rescuers have already arrived while a team from Serbia is expected to be deployed in the afternoon, followed by a Slovenian team with dogs. Türkiye, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland and the Czech Republic and have also offered help, a government statement said.