Bosnian capital struggles with flooding after heavy rainfall

Sarajevo, Nov 6 (IANS) Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), has been hit with severe flooding, the government of Sarajevo Canton has said.

"The situation is very serious but still under control," the government said on Friday, adding that no human casualties have been reported so far.

Continuous heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours caused the rivers Bosna, Zeljeznica and Tilava to burst their banks and flood roads, homes and businesses in several western and southwestern parts of the capital, Xinhua news agency reported.

The hardest-hit areas have been the districts of Ilidza, Novi Grad, Ilijas, and Trnovo, where traffic has been interrupted as many streets are under water. The electricity substation Reljevo has also been flooded, causing blackouts in many parts of the town.

Sarajevo authorities ordered the Civil Defence and all other relevant agencies to respond appropriately and promptly, as the rainfall continues.

Besides Sarajevo, streets are also submerged under water in some parts of Konjic, some 50 km south of the capital, where the Neretva river flooded local roads.