Freezing rain and snow paralyze the Balkans. “They've never seen anything like this”

Due to recent rain and snowfall, rivers in several parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo have flooded, some regions in Serbia have declared states of emergency, and difficult road conditions in Croatia have led to the closure of part of a highway, local media reported on Tuesday.

Due to heavy rainfall, the Buna River flowing through Herzegovina reached a record water level of 370 centimeters overnight, causing flooding in areas nearby. There were numerous floods of houses and premises along the river.

Residents of the Blagaj area in southern BiH emphasized that they had never seen the water level rise so quickly as in the last few days, the Klix website reported on Tuesday.

In addition to Buna, Bunica flooded its banks, which caused additional problems for the inhabitants of this part of Herzegovina. In addition to the floods, there were several landslides.

The Kosovo Hydrometeorological Institute (HMIK) reported on Tuesday that the rainfall caused floods in several cities, mainly in the western part of the country.

“These rainfalls, with varying frequency and intensity, are expected to continue in the coming days, which will lead to local floods, communication disruptions, sewerage disruptions, and traffic disruptions,” HMIK wrote in a statement.

Throughout Montenegro, heavy rains also caused serious problems – roads were closed, rivers flooded and landslides occurred. Most problems were recorded in the municipalities of Danilovgrad and Nikšić in the center of the country. In some towns, water entered houses, the Pobjeda portal reported.

Several municipalities in western Serbia have declared a state of emergency due to heavy rainfall. Most of the country is under a red or orange weather alert. The Emergency Situations Department appealed to residents of the most endangered areas not to refuse to evacuate when rescue teams reach them.

The deputy mayor of Loznica, Petar Gavrilović, informed RTS television that freezing rain fell in the city on the night from Monday to Tuesday, which made movement difficult. Part of the city, like several towns in the area, is without electricity.

Heavy snowfall in northwestern Croatia led to numerous road disruptions. Traffic is difficult on some sections due to slower driving of winter service vehicles, local authorities reported. The section of the A1 motorway between the Sveti Rok tunnel and the Rovanjska motorway gate is closed to traffic, N1 television reported.

Jakub Bawołek (PAP)

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