Serbia receiving help from increasing number of countries

Serbia receiving help from increasing number of countries

BELGRADE -- The Slovenian government sent on Friday the assistance to Serbia for countering the floods and the aid exceeds the announced quantities.

This is according to Slovenian Ambassador Franc But, who spoke for Tanjug, and added that the assistance should arrive late on Friday, while a special military helicopter would be sent to Serbia early on Saturday.

The Slovenian government sent a special civil protection unit to Serbia, as well as 10 (instead of the announced 4) vehicles and a trailer, 19 experts, two big and four additional small special drainage pumps, as well as 2 aggregates, the ambassador said.

”The announced assistance will arrive on Friday and it is somewhat bigger than first announced, and a special helicopter of the Slovenian Armed Forces will arrive early on Saturday,” But said.

The Serbian government asked Slovenia for assistance on Thursday, along with the EU, and Russia, which responded as early as Friday morning when it sent a team of rescuers, and announced two more planes carrying humanitarian aid and a large-scale humanitarian operation.

Other countries have offered to help, including Montenegro, Macedonia, and Croatia.

Speaking late on Friday, PM Aleksandar Vučić thanked the governments of Russia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Austria, and Germany.

So far, eight EU member-states - France, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Croatia - have reacted to the severe flooding in Serbia by providing help.

The EU info center in Belgrade has said that others are preparing to follow suit.

France said on Friday it would send 34 rescuers, ten...