Cleanup begins after floods in Bosnia
After the worst floods in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s history caused massive devastation, cleanup efforts are now underway.
Wet clothes, wet everything
About one quarter of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s four million people have been affected by the floods. They have no access to clean water. Altogether, 24 people in the country died in the floods.
Minefields buried under landslides
Landslides caused by torrential rains have worsened the situation in the flood-affected areas. Officials have registered nearly 2,000 landslides, some of them on minefields left over from the Bosnian War in the 1990s. More than 120,000 active landmines remain scattered across 9,400 minefields.
Homes destroyed
About half a million people have either been evacuated or forced to leave their homes. It is estimated that more than 100,000 homes and other buildings are no longer inhabitable. It's clear when the rebuilding will begin.
Damaged roads
The road infrastructure has been badly damaged by the floods. "The physical destruction is nothing less than the destruction caused by the war," says Zlatko Lagumdzija, the country's foreign minister.
Major health risk
Emergency aid agencies are warning that in some areas decaying corpses of drowned farm animals pose a major health risk, as bacteria and other diseases spread.
All ruined again
Bosnia declared a day of mourning for the 24 people who died in the flooding. "During the war many people lost everything. Today, again they have nothing," the foreign minister told the press.
Relief efforts have been launched
International relief efforts have begun. The US is sending 26 tons of humanitarian aid to the Balkans, while Russia and EU member states have sent rescue teams, humanitarian aid, water pumps and generators.