International rescuers arrive in Bosnia after devastating floods and landslides

Rescue teams from Bosnia’s neighbours and European Union countries are joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing after floods and landslides devastated parts of the Balkan country.

Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm overnight on Friday left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens of others.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by devastating floods,” European 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 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.

Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in Bosnia, said on social media site X that the EU stands with Bosnia and teams are arriving to help. Bosnia is a candidate country for membership of the 27-nation bloc.

Authorities said Croatian rescuers have already arrived, while a team from Serbia is expected to be deployed on Sunday afternoon, followed by a Slovenian team with dogs.

Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Czechia and Turkey have also offered help, a government statement said.

Sunday is the date of a local election in Bosnia. Election authorities have postponed voting in flood-hit regions, but the flooding has overshadowed the vote across the country.

Ismeta Bucalovic, a resident of Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, said: “We are all overwhelmed by these flooding events. We all think only about that.”

Impoverished and ethnically divided, Bosnia has struggled to recover after the brutal war in 1992-95. The country is plagued by political bickering and corruption, stalling its EU bid.