Last month, the skies dumped several months worth of rain on the Balkans in just a few days. The consequences were devastating, killing some 65 people across Bosnia and Serbia and causing billions of dollars of damage.
Now, those affected by the flooding and landslides are left to survey the devastation – the mud, the ruined furniture and the tree branches thrust through windows and walls.
. Obrenovac, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
At least 40 people died in Obrenovac, pictured above, a town of at least 30,000 southwest of Belgrade.
Those who fled or were evacuated from floods around the region are returning to what for many looks like a war zone – sofas and chairs tossed and broken, walls and floors muddied, entire homes devastated.
The cost of recovery is set to be enormous. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates the damage in Serbia at up to 2 billion euros ($2.73 billion), or seven percent of national output, and 1.3 billion euros in Bosnia, or 10 percent of output.
1 / 16
Slideshow
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A slipper lies in the mud after flooding hit Topcic Polje in central Bosnia.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Flowers stand on the windowsill of a house surrounded by debris.
. Obrenovac, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Serbian cyrillic letters float in the water inside a flooded funeral services business.
. Krupanj, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Earth pours through a bathroom window in Krupanj, west of the Serbian capital.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Switches are left splattered with dirt in a house belonging to the Kovacevic family.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A kitchen stands filled with mud.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Dirt coats the bathroom curtain of the Kovacevic family home.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Mud floods a school classroom.
. Krupanj, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Tree branches protrude through the window of a living room in Krupanj.
. Krupanj, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Kitchen units stand submerged in mud.
. Obrenovac, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Coffins hang on the wall of a flooded funeral services showroom in Obrenovac.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Islamic calligraphy hangs on a wall in Topcic Polje.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Mud covers the entrance of the bedroom and kitchen in the Kovacevic's family home.
. Obrenovac, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Part of a vacuum cleaner is seen covered in mud inside a flooded house.
. Obrenovac, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
A picture of actor Brad Pitt is seen inside a flooded hairdressing salon.
. TOPCIC POLJE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A dirty plush heart lies in the Kovacevic's family home.