A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight, leaving at least 16 people dead and flooding several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country.

Rescue services in the south of the country reported several people missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.

Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration in the southern town of Jablanica, said at least 16 people had died.

Apartment buildings are reflected at a flooded football field after heavy rain in the village of Kiseljak, northern Bosnia
Apartment buildings are reflected at a flooded football field after heavy rain in the village of Kiseljak in northern Bosnia (Armin Durgut/AP)

“Those are the ones who have been discovered by rescuers,” he said.

“We still don’t know the final death toll.”

“I don’t remember such a crisis since the war,” Mr Juka said, referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins.

“The scale of this chaotic situation is harrowing.”

Defence minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.

Mr Helez said that “hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims … We sent everyone we could. Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are”.

A pregnant woman lost her baby after she was rescued from the floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional centre of Mostar.

Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke, near the Bosnian town of Fojnica , 50 kilometres (31 miles) west of Sarajevo, Bosnia
Flooded houses after heavy rain in the village of Luke, near the Bosnian town of Fojnica , 50 kilometres (31 miles) west of Sarajevo, Bosnia (Robert Oroz/AP)

Authorities said doctors were fighting for her life as well.

Separately, a child was successfully rescued and admitted to hospital, local officials said.

Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phone service was down.

The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and train lines were closed.

“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement.

“You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”

It urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.

A motorcycle is partially submerged in floodwaters outside an apartment building in the village of Kiseljak, northern Bosnia
A motorcycle is partially submerged in floodwaters outside an apartment building in the village of Kiseljak, northern Bosnia (Armin Durgut/AP)

Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air can carry more moisture.

This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought.

Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.

Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.

Photos show that one of the busiest roads linking Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river together with a railway line in a huge landslide.

“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides. There is information about victims and many injured and missing persons,” said the civic protection service.

A car is submerged in floodwaters outside an apartment building in the village of Kiseljak, northern Bosnia
A car is submerged in floodwaters outside an apartment building in the northern Bosnian village of Kiseljak (Armin Durgut/AP)

Authorities urged people to stay on upper floors.

Reports said surging waters swept away domestic animals and cars as the water swiftly filled up the lower floors of buildings.

The heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighbouring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.

Heavy winds have hampered traffic on the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.

Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.