Mayor of Kakanj: We must not abandon our fellow citizens in this disaster

The Mayor of Kakanj Municipality, Nermin Mandra, denied the news that the victims of last night's tragedy in Bare, people who had already survived a tragedy in Zlokuće, which was also affected by landslides in mid-last year.

A strong landslide that started on Sunday evening after 8 PM, destroyed several apartments in Bare, injuring three people and killing one woman.

Experts stated that no one could have predicted the landslide in this location. It is a settlement built decades ago in that place, and the ground here did not move even during the strongest landslides that hit Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2014. Unfortunately, the residents of Bare were not lucky last night. A wave of mud, stones, and silt swept away part of the settlement in an instant, affecting people, animals, their homes...

- Kakanj has been struck by a great tragedy - Mandra told the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

- Municipal services have been on the ground since last night, and we are trying to help the affected people - he added. He also visited the three injured persons at the Zenica hospital early this morning.

According to initial data, 19 families from Bare have lost their homes, or their houses are endangered, forcing the owners to leave them. The mayor said that no endangered family would be left on the street and that the municipal authorities would help them find adequate accommodation.

- Municipal services are working on accommodating our citizens. We will find them adequate accommodation until we find a permanent solution for them. We have already provided them with one-time assistance - said Mandra.

The municipality will pay special attention to the elderly and infirm, as well as to children attending school. In addition to the municipality, a large number of private individuals and companies have offered assistance to the affected people of Kakanj, writes Patria.

In the tragedy that struck Kakanj on Sunday, a woman was also injured, who a few years ago lost her two daughters due to a serious illness, writes Patria.