Bosnia's Flood Disaster in Pictures
Homes swamped in mud as livestock and vehicles are carried away.
Prud, a village near the northern Bosnian town of Odzak. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Homes and cars in Prud swamped by floodwaters. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Prud, May 20-21, 2014. Prud, May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić A villager in Prud, stranded in his home. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Prud residents taking material needed to repair a bridge. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Prud, May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Collecting livestock carcasses. Prud, May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Clearing the carcasses is vitally important to preventing disease. Prud, May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić What was once a road in Topcic Polje, a village near Zenica in central Bosnia. May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić A vehicle picked up and spat out by mudflows in Topcic Polje. May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić A house almost completely submerged in mud. Topcic Polje, May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Someone‘s living room engulfed in mud. Topcic Polje, May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Topcic Polje, May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Topcic Polje, May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić In Topcic Polje, a local man mourns the death of his dog, killed by a landslip. May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić A temporary shelter in Odzak, May 21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Aid supplies collected in Sarajevo for delivery to flood victims. May 17, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Doboj, a town in northern Bosnia, after the floodwaters receded. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić This building in Doboj shows clearly how high the waters rose. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić Vehicles tossed around by the deluge in Doboj. May 20-21, 2014. © Sanja Vrzić The biggest flooding ever recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina has forced nearly a million people from their homes and left untold damage in its wake.
Sixty municipalities have been affected by floodwaters and the landslips they caused. Worst hit are the towns of Doboj, Maglaj and Odzak, and the surrounding villages and farmland. Rescue workers and volunteers are already helping clear debris, collect animal carcasses, and restore basic infrastructure.
The clear-up and reconstruction are likely to take years, and at a cost the struggling government budget will find it hard to sustain.
Sanja Vrzić is an architect, photographer and graphic designer based in Sarajevo.