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| © REUTERS Marko Djurica |
Heavy rain triggered the flooding, the worst in 120 years in the Balkan state.
A total of 16 people, mostly old people, were confirmed dead in the worst-hit Republika Srpska (RS), an entity of BiH, Gojko Vasic, a local police head was quoted by media as saying.
Elsewhere in BiH, two women and an old man were killed during landslides, according to media reports. A couple of villages remained cut off from the outside.
The death toll might climb as rescue efforts continue.
The Armed Forces of BiH sent trucks and helicopters to evacuate trapped citizens, and delivered drinking water, food, clothing and medicine to the flooding-hit areas.
The European Union Force (EUFOR), at the request of BiH government, sent four helicopters and military vehicles to transfer several hundred people to safe ground.
The European Union (EU) and neighboring countries rushed to help. The EU sent in five boats and 23 rescuers to BiH, while Slovenia dispatched one police helicopter and four boats. Austria pledged to send eight boats with crew.
The United States, Croatia and FYROM*** also provided help in relief efforts. A British special response team with rescue equipment arrived in Sarajevo Saturday night.
Though water levels in most flooded areas are receding, the danger of more landslides increases, expert warned, saying that evacuation must speed up to avoid more casualties.
BiH Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija said damage caused by the floods in the country would amount to millions of U.S. dollars, "like that would be caused by a war."
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***[GREECE recognized this country with the name "FYROM"]
***[UN resolution A/RES/47/225 of 8 April 1993]
18/5/14
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Two aircrafts of the Emergency Situations' Ministry have delivered humanitarian aid to Serbia, official spokesman for the ministry Alexander Drobyshevsky has announced....
ReplyDelete"Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft of the Emergency Situations' Ministry arrived at Belgrade and Nis airports. Together they delivered about 70 tons of humanitarian cargo," he said.
The plane landing in Belgrade delivered one power station, 10 water pumps, 30 boats, 2,500 blankets and also meat and fish cans, sugar, baby food and other necessities. The other plane carried five water pumps, two mobile power plants, 10 boats, 3,200 blankets and also meat and fish cans.
In addition, two Kamov Ka-32 helicopters are on their way. They took off from Ramenskoye near Moscow and are flying via Gomel, Brest and Bratislava to Nis. The helicopters will be on their way for some 12 hours.
"In Serbia the crews of Ka-32 having ample experience of rescue operations on the water will fly reconnaissance missions, evacuate flood victims and deliver cargos to inaccessible areas," Drobyshevsky said.
Besides, helicopters will deliver firefighting equipment to the Russian-Serbian center in Nis.
Russian rescuers have been operating in Serbia since last Friday. They have evacuated over 2,000 people from calamity areas, Interfax reports.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_18/Two-Russian-aircrafts-with-humanitarian-aid-arrive-in-Serbia-9111/
18/5/14
Balkan floods: Fears of new surge on Serbia's River Sava...
ReplyDeleteEmergency workers in Serbia are preparing for a "flood wave" on one of the country's main rivers.
Water levels on the River Sava are expected to peak later, threatening the country's biggest power plant.
It comes after the worst floods in the Balkans for decades left at least 20 dead and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
In Bosnia-Hercegovina, landslides have buried houses and disturbed landmines laid during the war in the 1990s.
The floods are also affecting Croatia................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27459184
18/5/14
More bodies were recovered from the Serbian town of Obrenovac as unprecedented floods swept the region, bringing the overall death toll across the Balkans to 44....
ReplyDeleteIn the town of "Obrenovac alone we recovered 12 corpses," Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said, bringing the toll in Serbia to 16. Bosnia has confirmed 27 dead and Croatia one.
Russian cargo planes and rescue teams from around Europe have joined volunteer aid efforts in Serbia and Bosnia...............http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0518/618088-bosnia-serbia-floods/
18/5/14
Record Balkan floods lead to Bosnia landslides...
ReplyDeleteSARAJEVO (Bosnia): Landslides triggered by unprecedented rains in Bosnia have left hundreds of people homeless, officials said on Sunday, while thousands more have fled their homes in neighboring Croatia and Serbia as Balkan countries battle the region's worst flooding since modern records began.
Throughout hilly Bosnia, floods are triggering landslides covering roads, homes and whole villages. About 300 landslides have been reported, and stranded villagers often are being rescued by helicopter.
"The situation is catastrophic," said Bosnia's refugee minister, Adil Osmanovic.
Three months' worth of rain fell on the region in a three-day burst, creating the worst floods since rainfall measurements began 120 years ago.
Observed from the air, almost a third of Bosnia chiefly in the northeast resembles a huge muddy lake, with houses, roads and rail lines submerged. Officials say about a million people — more than a quarter of the country's population — live in the worst-affected areas..................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Record-Balkan-floods-lead-to-Bosnia-landslides/articleshow/35308865.cms
18/5/14