Around 160 people have been evacuated
© Ministry of Interior SerbiaAround 160 people have been evacuated from their homes after flooding in Serbia 03 June, 2019.
Several cities and municipalities have declared a state of emergency after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia over the last few days.


Bosnia and Herzegovina

Flooding and landslides in northern BiH have damaged homes, infrastructure and crops. The city of Tuzla in the north east of the country declared a state of natural disaster on 01 June, 2019 in response to the flooding and landslides triggered by the rain.

Tuzla's Civil Protection authorities said that flooding has damaged around 50 homes, along with vehicles, roads, two bridges, water infrastructure and agriculture. The city also said that about a dozen landslides have been reported in the area.

The rain has caused rivers to rise rapidly. On 02 June the Jala River which runs through the city of Tuzla reached 111 cm, jumping from 45 cm in just a few hours. Danger level is 100cm, which has already been surpassed twice this year, once in late April and again in mid May.

Serbia

In Serbia, recent heavy rainfall has caused flooding in central and western areas of the country.

Assistant Interior Minister and Head of the Emergency Situations Department, Predrag Marić, said in a statement that as much as 100mm of rain fell in some areas during the night 02 to 03 June, causing several small rivers to overflow.

Nine municipalities and cities have declared an emergency situation: the city of Kraljevo and the municipalities of Knić, Arilje, Lučani, Vrnjacka Banja, Tutin, Trstenik, Novi Pazar and Sremska Mitrovica.

Roads and homes have been flooded and some bridges damaged. The Ministry of Interior reported that 159 people have been evacuated, mostly for preventive reasons. No injuries or casualties were reported.

The Assistant Interior Minister said that the situation has already started to improve and the water is slowly receding. Clean up operations and pumping work will continue so that affected families can return to their homes.

However, the country's Hydrometeorological Institute warned that further heavy rain is likely in central and southern areas.

Flooding in Serbia
© Ministry of Interior SerbiaFlooding in Serbia
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