Floods in Bosnia, Croatia also affected

Floods in Bosnia, Croatia also affected

Most distress calls came from Doboj, and saving human lives is the priority, the media quoted Radojičić as saying.

The situation in the Bijeljina area has worsened, too, due to the rising level of the Drina river, he said, adding that the Vrbas River is also rising near Banja Luka, leaving some towns flooded, with a bridge in Priječani crushed by the water.

In some areas, assistance could not be provided and helicopters were sent to rescue the population, in particular patients in dangerous conditions.

Due to heavy rainfall and floods, a state of emergency has been declared in Prnjavor after it was estimated that the situation in the municipality has worsened since the introduction of urgent flood defence measures some ten days ago.

A landslide hit eight homes in Podgaj in the Sarajevo municipality of Vogošća, leaving several people injured.

EUFOR troops are on standby to help the Bosnia-Herzegovina authorities in the flood-stricken areas once the weather conditions improve, Radojičić said.

Croatia hit by floods

Croatia is struggling with the consequences of Thursday's storms and heavy rainfall - the situation is the most dramatic in the Slavonia and Posavina regions, with many homes flooded by overflowing rivers and some parts of the country declared natural disaster areas.

The Posavina county has been flooded, with over 100 liters of rain per square meter falling over the past 24 hours alone.

The situation in the Osijek-Baranja and the Vukovar-Srem counties - declared as natural disaster areas - as well as in the Požega-Slavonia county, is difficult.

Strong winds are causing major problems in the eastern parts of the country.

Zagreb was hit by a severe storm last night, with the wind knocking over trees and damaging roofs, the Hina agency reported.

A powerful pipeline blast also rocked downtown Zagreb early on Friday, causing no injuries.