Rising rivers have caused numerous problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the worst situation on Saturday reported in the north and northwest of the country, where water overflowed riverbanks in the areas of Sanski Most, Prijedor and several other smaller towns.

In Prijedor, during the night between Friday and Saturday, a state of emergency was declared due to flood defence, and local authorities reported that 350 properties were at risk, while two families had to be evacuated from their homes.

In Sanski Most, the Sana River reached nearly 430 centimeters on Saturday morning, and overnight, the water flooded the municipal administration building, requiring an operation to remove archived documents stored there.

In the area of Gradiska, around fifty residential and auxiliary buildings were flooded, but local civil protection officials claim the most critical period has passed as the water level stopped rising after the rain subsided.

The water is gradually receding in 16 neighbourhoods of Banja Luka, which were flooded on Friday and where a state of emergency flood defence was also declared.

“The Vrbas and Bosna rivers are receding, there is no need to spread panic, but there is no room for relaxation either,” said Boris Trninic, director of the Civil Protection Directorate of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity of Republika Srpska.

Several regional roads in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina remain submerged, leading to traffic disruptions. Entity automobile clubs are urging drivers to be cautious and check the road conditions if travelling in those areas.