Flooding in Serbia and Bosnia; torrential rains trigger evacuations

BELGRADE/SARAJEVO, (Reuters) – Days of torrential downpours have caused flooding in Serbia and Bosnia, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency in many areas, with the rain not expected to let up.

In Serbia, 1,300 rescuers and 22 boats were deployed to evacuate dozens of people in various locations, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Near the southwestern city of Kraljevo, a river tore away a bridge. In central Serbia, rescuers had to evacuate 12 people from their homes in Kragujevac due to the Lepenica river bursting its banks, said mayor Nikola Dasic, while 22 people were rescued from a village near the town of Jagodina.

Smaller rivers also burst their banks, cutting roads and power lines.

Rivers were also overflowing in eastern Bosnia, and authorities in the northeastern city of Tuzla declared an emergency in their entire region as people were forced to leave their homes in many towns and villages.

A landslide blocked a road near the town of Srebrenica, and there were warnings of possible flooding around the capital, Sarajevo.