SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia-Herzegovina has declared a day of mourning after the death toll from the Balkans flood disaster rose to at least 43.
The toll rose after rescue workers recovered a body from the western Vrbas river, crisis management officials told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
Thousands of people still lack electricity and drinking water supplies across the region and government officials are working to try and prevent a possible spread of infectious diseases.
Neighboring Serbia has begun evacuating the town of Obrenovac near the capital, Belgrade, following an alarming rise in water levels on the Sava river which flows through the city.
Fears rekindled
At least 15 people have reportedly died in Serbia and nearly 300,000 others have been cut off from power and tap water.
The surge in the Sava came as the downpour abated and many people thought an end to the crisis was near, but fears that another bout of major flooding might engulf the capital were rekindled amid warnings of a new eave of flooding.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic visited Obrenovac on Saturday while Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali said the city was prepared for more floodwaters.
All foreign aid currently flowing into Serbia is reportedly being channeled to the city of Sabac, which nestles alongside the Sava and where more than 800 people have been evacuated over the last four days.
Aid pours in
The floods, which killed at least 35 people as they swept across the Balkans, are considered the worst ever in the region in 120 years.
Aid has poured in from around the world, with several Turkish agencies and organizations shipping truckloads of relief items.
They include Turkish Red Crescent, Prime Ministry's emergency agency, Istanbul municipality and the state-backed religious Diyanet Foundation.
UN calls for help for Bosnia and Serbia
The UN emergency relief coordinator Monday urged the international community to provide assistance after devastating flooding in the Balkans which has claimed at least 36 lives.
The UN’s Valerie Amos, said help is on the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia where tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
The region recorded the heaviest rainfall in 120 years in mid-May, according to meteorologists.
“In all three countries, the government is leading the flood response, distributing food and other relief supplies, and providing emergency shelter,” said Amos in statement issued on Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has allocated US$50,000 to kick start the relief effort, through the UN resident coordinator's office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The office has also dispatched a team of UN disaster assessment experts to the region. In addition, the UN said expert teams from the UN World Food Program (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are already engaged with the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian authorities to provide food, water and sanitation.
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