Bosnia flood death toll reaches 26, with at least one person still missing 10 days after storm – Winnipeg Free Press

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The death toll from this month’s devastating floods and landslides in Bosnia has reached 26 as rescue teams search for at least one other person still missing, some 10 days old after a rainstorm caused devastation in the Balkan country. , authorities announced Monday.

Torrential rains and winds hit four municipalities in central and southern Bosnia on October 4. Homes, roads and bridges were destroyed, leaving isolated villages without roads or electricity.

Rescue teams have been searching the rubble for days, looking for people still missing. The hardest hit area was in and around the southern town of Jablanica, where a village was buried under rocks from a quarry on a hill above.

The local government said a total of 19 people had died in Jablanica, where a mass funeral will take place on Tuesday. Four people died in Konjic, east of Jablanica, and three others in Fojnica, further north.

Residents in the Jablanica area reported hearing a roar of thunder that woke them up in the middle of the night. They saw the houses disappear before their eyes.

Debris that was swept from flood-affected areas clogged the otherwise perfectly clear and emerald green Neretva River, which is a favorite destination for visitors and locals.

Debris of all kinds, from pieces of wood to household appliances, has accumulated near a hydroelectric dam on the Neretva, creating a virtual waste island on the river and illustrating the devastation caused by the floods.

Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of precipitation because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried out land hampered the absorption of floodwaters.