The head of the Public Relations Department of the Government of the Croatian National Assembly, Darko Juka, said in the Federation program today that a disaster of an unprecedented scale occurred in that canton.
“What we have – has been put to use. All services are available from the first information this morning at 3 o’clock – everything to save one more human life and to help the victims, and there are a lot of them”.
Juka added an open highway route between Konjic and Jablanica, but only for rescue teams – the road was not open for regular passenger traffic at one point and it is not even possible to do so now.
“Each arrival of those who are not there to help – and coordinated help – can only create additional problems on the ground”.
Donja Jablanica is completely cut off from the rest of the world. Towards Mostar, an entire section of the M17 road ended up in the Neretva river bed, the railway line was undermined and railway traffic was interrupted, the road towards Blidinje, i.e. Risavac, collapsed and the possibility of arriving by car from ZHK was interrupted, and over 3 km of landslides completely closed the road from Jablanica towards Prozor-Rama, said Juka.
“Who knows what will be seen there once it is cleared, if there is even a road under that landslide”.
Juka reminded that the biggest tragedy is the lost human lives.
“16 people died, 15 of them in Jablanica and one in the area of the town of Konjic. That’s what the official figure is at the moment. Given the dramatic nature of the situation on the ground, it is rightly feared that this number will not be final. As for those who were officially reported as missing, we only have that information for Konjic – 6 people. No one dares to do that for Jablanica – whole villages were swept away under the onslaught of landslides and floods”.
Juka stated that there are homes with only the roof visible and visible above a pile of stones.
“We are afraid of what will happen when that field is cleared and when we present the numbers to the public again.”
As for the evacuation, before the corridor between Konjic and Jablanica was established, which enabled the exit to Konjic, i.e. the delivery of forces and equipment from the direction of Sarajevo, the only possibility was the boats and supplies of the Civil Protection and diving clubs, as well as the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Čapljina, said Juka.
“Two large military boats were delivered from there. In addition, the air force was engaged. The situation this morning was such that the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not manage to get through Ivan-Sedlo by helicopter, only Eufor succeeded, but that helicopter passage saved the life of a ten-year-old boy who was brought to the RMC of Doctor Safet Mujić in Mostar with severe injuries and completely hypothermic. Unfortunately, a not so happy story is about a pregnant woman in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy who was also brought to Mostar, whose baby, unfortunately, lost the battle for life”.
Juka pointed out that the water level of the Neretva has dropped significantly and that the rainfall has stopped, but that the forecast is not so promising. But he was moved, he says, by the information that more than a hundred people are waiting in front of the transfusion clinic in Mostar to donate blood for the victims. In the end, he made an appeal that all those who want to help do not come to the field on their own initiative – everything must be coordinated through the Crisis Staff of Civil Protection, Federalna writes.
