Rescue teams are searching for survivors of sudden floods and landslides that hit parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
Construction equipment worked to remove piles of rocks and debris that covered the central city of Jablanica after a downpour on Friday morning.
Huge amounts of rain fell in the area of Yablanytsia and near Konits, causing a sudden flood that flooded the homes of people who were sleeping.
The rising water also caused landslides that destroyed roads and hills, covering villages with mud and cutting off entire areas.
Bosnian media report that stones from a nearby quarry fell on the village of Donja Jablanica, covering houses.
According to officials, at least 16 people have been confirmed dead, including an infant, and at least 10 are missing, with dozens of wounded.
Rescuers blocked off Yablanka, forbidding unauthorized persons from entering while they conducted searches. Some houses were flooded up to the roofs, and when the water receded, rescuers could be seen walking through piles of rubble.
Near the town of Konjic, which was also hit by the storm, some villages remained cut off on Saturday, officials said.
"Kilometers of roads no longer exist, almost all bridges are destroyed," Hussein Hodzic of the local civil defense unit told regional television N1. "There is no electricity, all the power poles have been knocked down. There are no telephone lines.
Local elections scheduled for Sunday will be postponed in municipalities affected by flooding.
In the previous days, floods were also reported in Croatia and Montenegro.