Residents and activists in central Bosnia clean up a lake after massive floods

JABLANICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Residents and activists on Sunday pulled out heaps of debris and trash from a lake in a central Bosnian region that was devastated by deadly floods and landslides more than two weeks ago.

Using boats and motor vehicles, the volunteers scooped up plastics, wood and other objects that were swept away by raging waters during the rainstorm in early October and ended up in the Lake Jablanica.

Twenty-seven people died in floods and landslides on the night of Oct. 4, 19 of them in the village of Donja Jablanica, where rocks from a hillside quarry unleashed by floodwaters buried houses.

“I was born at this lake, it's normal that I’m here, helping,” said Ibro Besic from the nearby town of Jablanica. "It would be shameful to just leave all this trash to float. We all want to come and swim here in the summer.”

Bosnia has sought help from neighboring countries and the European Union. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to the areas when she visits the Balkan country next week.

Authorities in Jablanica said that schools will reopen Monday but pupils can also follow classes online if they do not feel ready to come back to classrooms. The floods have destroyed roads, bridges and the railway.

People clearing the debris at the Lake Jablanica said they had pulled out animal carcases and home appliances, such as refrigerators and stoves in the past days. The lake is normally known for its clear green water that has become tainted by a huge island of waste.

Haris Cosic, who works in the tourism industry in Jablanica, said the effort will continue until everything has been cleared up. Sometimes, he said, they have to improvise.

”We are using quad bikes to pull out the heavy objects," he said. "It will take a lot of time but I hope, we hope, that the operation will be successful.”