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Belarus sends rescuers, helicopters to flood-hit Serbia

Belarus’ emergency management ministry sent two Mi-8 helicopters and four rescue teams to Serbia on Sunday morning by order of Alyaksandr Lukashenka to rescue people trapped by rising waters as the worst floods ever recorded swept the Balkan country.

Belarus is also preparing to send a humanitarian aid shipment to Serbia, reported the press office of the emergency management ministry.

According to the press office, the shipment will include tents, blankets, food, electric generators and water pumps, and will soon be delivered by an Iljushin IL-76 freight plane.

The heaviest rains since records began almost 120 years ago have hit Serbia and Bosnia this past week.

Three months' worth of rain fell on the region in three days. The River Sava burst its banks, flooding cities and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes.

At least 24 people have reportedly died in the disaster. Some 20,000 people have been evacuated in Serbia and at least 13,000 more in Bosnia. //BelaPAN