RS declares day of mourning, help arrives to Bosnia

RS declares day of mourning, help arrives to Bosnia

BANJA LUKA, SARAJEVO -- The government of the Serb Republic (RS), the Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, has decided to declare a day of mourning on Tuesday.

So far 17 people have been listed as casualties of the heavy floods, RS Interior Minister Radislav Jovičić confirmed.

On May 17, the entity declared a state of emergency.

Elsewhere in Bosnia, a 33-member British team arrived to help with the rescue efforts, while a plane from Turkey landed in Sarajevo, carrying 125,000 bags to be filled with sand, as well as some 1,000 blankets, two generators, shovels and other tools.

Previously, Britain sent three experts to Bosnia as part of an EU civil defense team to assess the damage and coordinate efforts.

The European Commission site said that a day after Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina appealed for help, 14 EU member states responded. Slovenia, Austria, Britain, Luxembourg and Germany decided to send helicopters and motor boats to Bosnia.