Serbia and Bosnia hit by new round of deadly flooding

Severe flooding in Serbia and Bosnia has killed at least one person, just three months after record-breaking floods killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands.

Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding as rivers burst their banks across the Balkans, with Croatia also affected. 

In the western Serbian town of Banja Koviljaca a 65-year-old man reportedly drowned in his home on Wednesday.

This comes just months after catastrophic floods and a series of landslides, caused when three months’ worth of rain fell in just a few days, affected nearly two million people in the region. Many areas still had not recovered, after billions of euros’ worth of damage was done. 

At the time, Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said, “These are the kind of waters not seen in 1,000 years, let alone 100.”

Experts were quick to suggest a link between the almost unprecedented flooding of May and climate change.

Though it is difficult to connect specific incidents of extreme weather to long-term trends, scientists do expect global warming to increase the risk of intense rainfall and flash floods across Europe.

Photo: Oximity ‏via Twitter

Take our 2014 reader survey and you could win an iPad, Kindle or donation to a charity of your choice.

Further reading:

37 dead in Balkans’ worst floods in decades

Climate change increasing flood risk in the UK

Flooding poses risk to UK economy and could worsen with climate change

European flood losses could increase four-fold by 2050

PM set to meet insurance industry over UK floods