The heaviest rains and floods in 120 years have hit the Balkan states of Serbia and Bosnia, forcing hundreds out of their homes. There have been calls for international assistance.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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Five casualties, one a firefighter on a rescue mission, drowned as torrential rain forced hundreds of people out of their homes in Serbia. Some 100,000 households were left without electricity. Schools in the Serbian capital stayed closed on Friday.
"This is the worst natural catastrophe that has ever hit Serbia," Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said while touring the flooded areas. Three thousand people were evacuated from their homes in the west and southwest of the country.
Some 100,000 households with an estimated 300,000 inhabitants, mostly in rural western Serbia, have been left without electricity as the country's sole power utility company EPS said it had halted two hydro-power plants due to high water levels on the Morava river.
Bosnian military wades in
Authorities declared a state of emergency in several parts of Bosnia, ordering the army to help out rescuers. Two towns in western Bosnia, Maglaj and Doboj, could be reached only by boats, as all the roads and streets were completely flooded. Most schools were closed.
Bosnian military helicopters evacuated hundreds of people while EU troops in Bosnia joined the effort with trucks and helicopters.
jm/msh (Reuters, AP, AFP)
Record flooding in Balkans
The heaviest rains and floods in 120 years have hit the Balkan countries of Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, forcing tens of thousands out of their homes.
Image: Reuters
Deadly flooding
After days of heavy rains, swaths of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are underwater. Parts of the countries saw as much rain fall in 40 hours as they normally get in three months, officials said. Authorities said over 20 people have died as a result of the flooding.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Flooded streets and homes
The area along the Sava River, west of Belgrade, was among the places worst hit by the flooding. In Sabac, water levels rose by 6.2 meters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fight against rising water
In Obrenovac, emergency workers and soldiers used helicopters to rescue people who were trapped in the Serbian town. Nearly 90 percent of the town of 23,000 was flooded.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Waiting for help
Water has flooded into the second floor of some homes in the region and thousands are still waiting to be rescued and brought to emergency shelters. Damages in Serbia alone are estimated to cost a billion euros.
Image: Reuters
Thousands evacuated
In Obrenovac alone there were some 4,000 people who needed to be rescued from what officials are calling the worst flood disaster to strike the region since they began keeping records. Hundreds of people have also been evacuated in Croatia.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Traffic underwater in Belgrade flooding
Transport was brought to a halt in Serbia's capital as a state of emergency was declared because of what Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic described as "the worst natural catastrophe that has ever hit Serbia."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Rivers burst banks across Serbia and Bosnia
Villages and towns were left isolated or even underwater as rivers burst their banks in the two countries. The military organised evacuations as 100,000 households, home to an estimated 300,000, were left without power.
Image: Reuters
Landslides and floodwaters surround settlements
A landslide and floodwaters hit houses in the village of Topcic Polje, near the central Bosnian town of Zenica. Hundreds of homes were cut off or flooded after the Miljacka River, which runs through Sarajevo, broke its banks.Rain has caused some 300 landslides, and officials fear landslides could also set off land mines left from Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.
Image: Elvis Barukcic/AFP/Getty Images
State, EU troops help rescue efforts
Helicopters, boats and amphibious vehicles were used to help people to safety. Five people are known to have drowned in the floods, including one firefighter on a rescue mission.
Image: Reuters/Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Transport links disrupted
Road and rail links have been broken and many vehicles remain underwater. Rail traffic from Serbia to Montenegro has been halted.
Image: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images
Schools closed
Schools have been closed and sporting events cancelled as Serbia and Bosnia deal with the record flooding.
