Deadly Floods and Landslides Wipe Out Communities, Isolating Entire Towns and Villages.
In a tragic turn of events, flash floods and landslides have claimed the lives of at least 19 people in Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving vast areas of central Bosnia devastated.
The entire towns and villages have been cut off, with aerial images revealing scenes of homes submerged, roads washed away, and bridges destroyed.
The worst of the flooding was reported around Jablanica, a small town located on the key route between Mostar and Sarajevo, around 70km northeast of the Bosnian capital. The torrential rains caused rivers, particularly the River Neretva, to overflow, submerging parts of the town and damaging critical infrastructure.
Roads, bridges, and railway tracks in the region have been washed away or blocked by debris. In many areas, the landslides were so severe that houses were buried under earth and rocks, leaving only upper storeys visible.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency across the affected regions as they work to rescue the missing and evacuate those trapped by the rising waters.
The M-17 highway, which runs alongside the Neretva River and serves as a critical transportation route in the region, has been blocked by debris and landslides. A particularly affected section of the road near Jablanica was declared unsafe for travel, as local authorities warned drivers to avoid the area.
In addition to the roads, a 17km stretch of the railway connecting Ostrozac and Grabovica was severely damaged, with one 200m section of the track left hanging precariously in the air due to a landslide.
Several towns and villages were left isolated, with rescuers working tirelessly to evacuate those in immediate danger. In one particularly harrowing account, a family in the Neretva River area described how they narrowly escaped their collapsing home after it was flooded in the early hours of the morning.
“The water came in at around 03:30, and we barely managed to save our son before escaping to our neighbor’s house,” the homeowner recounted.
The devastation has not been confined to Bosnia-Herzegovina alone. In neighboring Montenegro, villages like Komarnica were cut off after floodwaters washed away roads, further compounding the regional emergency.
In Croatia, water levels in several rivers, including the Kupa, are continuing to rise, putting towns like Karlovac at risk of severe flooding. The Croatian government has issued warnings and mobilized emergency services to brace for potential disaster as waters approach critical levels.
The Role of Climate Change
This deadly flooding comes on the heels of severe floods that hit Central Europe in the preceding months, with countries such as Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic suffering extensive damage.
A four-day period of rainfall in the region was recently recorded as the heaviest ever, according to scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group. They assert that the severity of these floods has been worsened by climate change, as Europe continues to experience rapid warming.
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s floods follow a trend seen across Europe in recent years, with the continent experiencing some of its most extreme weather on record. According to the Copernicus climate service, Europe is now the fastest-warming continent on the planet.
The last five years have been, on average, 2.3 degrees Celsius warmer than the late 19th century. These rising temperatures are linked to more intense weather patterns, leading to the kind of destructive rainfall that has devastated Bosnia and neighboring countries.
Local and national authorities have declared states of emergency and mobilized all available resources for rescue and recovery efforts. Development minister Vojin Mijatovic acknowledged the scale of the disaster, saying,
“The country has witnessed a terrible disaster, and we ask everyone to remain calm as we work to manage the situation.”
Rescue teams, including emergency services and military personnel, have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas to aid in the search for survivors. However, continued rainfall and the widespread destruction of infrastructure are hampering relief efforts. In many places, helicopters have been the only means of reaching those stranded by the rising waters.
Local communities have rallied to support each other, with many taking in neighbors and family members who have lost their homes. Humanitarian organizations are also on the ground, providing much-needed supplies, including food, water, and medical assistance, to displaced residents.
Governments across the region will need to invest in stronger flood defenses, better early warning systems, and more robust infrastructure to prevent future disasters. Many scientists argue that governments must also ramp up efforts to combat climate change, which is making such extreme weather events more frequent and intense.
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