From Bosanski Petrovac, an appeal for help from the BiH Armed Forces in dealing with the natural disaster and evacuating pregnant women

(Patria) - The situation in the Una-Sana Canton due to heavy snowfall is still complex, and the most difficult is in the area of Bosanski Petrovac, where many places are cut off from the rest of the world due to large snowdrifts.

Due to the difficult situation in this municipality and neighboring Ključ, a state of natural disaster has been declared, and all available capacities are engaged in snow-clearing activities.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Bosanski Petrovac, Mahmut Jukić, sent a request to the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, asking for their engagement and assistance due to the natural disaster, as well as for the urgent evacuation of a pregnant woman from the village of Krnja Jela.

The engagement of the BiH Armed Forces would be of great importance for providing assistance on the ground, establishing road accessibility, and helping citizens.

Local authorities have asked citizens not to spread panic on social networks, as superhuman efforts are being made to resolve the current situation. Due to high snow and strong winds that constantly create snowdrifts, the road from Ključ to Bihać via Bosanski Petrovac is still impassable and traffic is not running.

On this road section from the direction of Bihać, between the villages of Lipa and Vrtoče, vehicles have been snowed in since last night, including an ambulance carrying patients. Thanks to the intervention of members of the special police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Una-Sana Canton, patients and passengers, including small children, were evacuated and accommodated in temporary accommodation at Hotel Rekić in Bihać. Also, due to the current situation, 120 migrants who were staying in the Lipa migrant camp, which lost power, were evacuated and transferred to the Borići camp.

Members of the Mountain Rescue Service operated throughout the night, while the humanitarian organization Pomozi.ba delivered food and aid to endangered passengers.

The road connecting Sanski Most with Ključ was finally unblocked this morning, allowing traffic for passenger cars, while freight traffic is prohibited.

Six freight trucks have been blocked on this road for three days, to which activists from the Red Cross from Sanski Most delivered food and drinks. One of the biggest problems at the moment is that a large number of households in the Una-Sana Canton are without electricity. Repairs are difficult due to high snow and the inaccessibility of numerous locations where the power grid has collapsed.