Australia pitches in to help Balkans flood victims

Serbians and Bosnians in Australia are rallying around relatives caught up in the devastating floods in the Balkans.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has described the flooding as catastrophic, with entire villages wiped out, and some victims being trapped on rooftops for days.

Serbia’s west and Bosnia’s east have been hardest hit, and there is more rain on the way,

The rescue operation is being hampered by landslides after three months worth of rain fell in just three days.

Thousands are going without food, drinking water and electricity in what is the worst flooding the region has experienced in 120 years.

For relatives in Australia, it has been hard to watch. Many expect the worst is still to come and are scrambling to get in touch with loved ones.

“We are trying to contact them, we haven’t been able to get in contact with some of them so we are calling friends of friends to find out what is going on,” Jelena Dinic said.

The local Serbian community is rallying around those affected. There will be a lunch held at the Serbian Orthodox Church at Kilkenny on June 1 to help raise funds for the relief effort.

“We cannot control the rain, we cannot control natural disasters, but what we can do is help,” Ms Dinic said.

Anyone looking to donate money to assist the relief effort can do so via the Novak Djokovic Foundation or through bank transfer to the Serbian Orthodox Church’s relief fund:

Serbian Orthodox St Sava Relief Fund
Account no. 070142640
BSB 105116