Late last week, Bosnia-Herzegovina was hit by torrential rain that caused deadly floods and landslides. As the flood waters subside, the cleanup has begun, and locals are surveying the damage.
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00:00There used to be ten houses here on the banks of the SejonÄica river, but the recent floods
00:05have simply swept them away.
00:07The village of ButeroviÄ Polje is one of the areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina that was
00:11hardest hit by recent floods and landslides.
00:15Locals say that the night the floods struck was the most difficult and terrifying night
00:19of their lives.
00:21There was a catastrophe.
00:23There was a roar of water coming from the nearby hills, and the land shook.
00:30I can't imagine, I've been living here since 1956, I can't imagine that the terrain has changed.
00:37The terrain has changed completely.
00:40Look at this.
00:41The house is gone, it's like a boat.
00:44The house is like a boat.
00:46Nijaz PodanoviÄ says that the body of a man was found on Monday.
00:50His corpse had been carried three kilometres downstream by the water.
00:54Unprecedented rainfall struck central Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, causing flooding and landslides.
00:59Around 20 people have died and many are still missing.
01:03Many houses were damaged or destroyed.
01:07Rescue teams have been tirelessly combing the region for days, looking for missing people.
01:11Some of the rescuers are locals, which makes the search even more difficult.
01:16It's a different feeling when you go somewhere else, and this is exactly the case.
01:20Because of all the people we know, who call us, ask if they can go somewhere,
01:25to see if their parents are alive or close.
01:29And you're not in the situation, you don't know.
01:31And then you come, you find that there is no house for which they ask,
01:35and then what can you say to them?
01:37Rescue teams from neighbouring countries have also come to help.
01:42The guys are giving their maximum, not just us, but all the other teams,
01:47which is, let's say, our main priority and task of every rescuer.
01:52We say that they don't know the borders, don't know where they come from.
01:56We come here with all our hearts to help as much as we can.
01:59Many residents are scared about the rainfall that has been forecast for the coming days.
02:04Nevertheless, they believe that once this is all over, life will go on.
02:08People are depressed, full of nerves and all that.
02:11And life will go on.
02:13But in this part, we will no longer be able to build a house here.
02:17We will have to look for new accommodation.
02:21Five days after the flood, the population was ordered to evacuate from areas at risk of further flooding.
02:27People in the inundated villages believe the response from all levels of government was slow,
02:32that the aid provided was insufficient,
02:34and that not enough has been done to mitigate the consequences of this natural disaster.
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