Town of Šabac safe, flood victims in Obrenovac

Town of Šabac safe, flood victims in Obrenovac

This Belgrade municipality remains the most critical location in Serbia, Marić said. The town is now flooded by the Kolubara River, a tributary to the Sava River, but there are fears that the Sava, which burst some 100 meters of its bank near the TENT power plant, could also start flooding, significantly worsening the situation.

Marić explained that work was being done to rebuild this part of the enbankment.

More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from Obrenovac, he said, and added that dozens of inhabited places elsewhere in Serbia had been "leveled to the ground."

He mentioned Krupanj in the west which has been cut off from the rest of the country as landslides shut down roads and flood waters destroyed bridges. Marić announced that for the first time in two days, "people reached Krupanj."

Although he described the overall situation as "a catastrophe that has not been recorded in Serbia," Marić advised citizens not to panic or stockpile on food and other goods, and added that according to available information, there would be no power cuts.

He said the situation in Šabac was under control, and thanked all who took part in the effort there, and especially rescuers from Russia and Slovenia. On Saturday, victory was declared in the town of Šabac, upstream on the Sava River, where more than 6,000 people, including thousands of volunteers, worked all night to prevent the river from flooding.

Army chief Ljubiša Diković said on Saturday morning that the town was not in immediate danger any longer. The general, who coordinates the efforts in Šabac, said that "the situation is under control, last night we succeeded in securing the town."

Diković explained that more than 6,000 citizens, troops, and MUP officers were deployed to build the levees.

"They worked really hard and I can say with pleasure that we saved it (Šabac)," Diković was quoted as saying, and adding that work continued today to reinforce the flood defenses.

According to him, the surrounding villages are also safe considering Sava's water level was 631 centimeters today, while it reached 730 centimeters when the levees were built.

The general added that the government will inform the citizens about the situation in the affected areas and whether there was any need for more volunteers.

Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić praised the troops and the citizens who spent the night working to prevent the flooding of Šabac.

"When we are united, we can do anything. I must say these people are real heroes. I can say with certainty that here we won't have a situation like that in Obrenovac. People responded in great numbers yesterday and some have been sent to Sremska Mitrovica this morning, where help is needed," Gašić said.