Bosnia Floods Reveal Human Bones Near Doboj

Power company workers repairing the transmission system and cleaning the area last week found human bones on the banks of the river Bosna near flood-stricken Doboj.

Lejla Cengic, of the Institute for Missing Persons, on May 26 said the flood had washed away part of the river bank, which is why the bones became visible.

“There are a skull and parts of a human skeleton,” she said. “We will request the Prosecutor to schedule an exhumation at the location. Until then, this site will be guarded by police from Doboj,” she added.

Receding flood water earlier revealed another skeleton at Bare, also near Doboj.

It is not clear how many bodies the remains belong to. Although it has not been confirmed, it is believed that the remains found in Usora were of Bosniaks from the Magaj area who went missing after Bosnian Serb forces overran the area in the summer of 1992.

The Maglaj and Doboj areas are among the worst hit by the floods in Bosnia, after the river Bosna over-spilled and submerged entire towns.

Tens of thousands of locals had to be evacuated from their homes, while hundreds of thousands of others left before the water reached them.

The same flood water that shifted land and riverbanks, revealing human remains, has also shifted landmines left over from the 1992-5 Bosnian war.

De-mining crews are working in the field to determine where the mines have gone, warning that it could be very dangerous, as they are now floating in unmarked areas.

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