More than 50 people have been killed and tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes after several months of rain fell in just a few days.
JCB is handing over two 3CX backhoe loaders to help the relief effort. The first machine has been handed over by JCB’s dealer in Bosnia, Terra BIH, with the support of the British embassy at the dealer’s premises in Sarajevo. Terra BIH is also providing operator training and service support for the machines in the field.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: “JCB has a long history of supporting countries hit by natural disasters. The floods in the Balkans have left behind a terrible trail of destruction and I hope the machines being despatched to Serbia and Bosnia will help life return to normal as quickly as possible.”
More than 3,000 landslides have hit Serbia and Bosnia, burying houses and roads. In Serbia, a second JCB machine will be made available by dealer Terra Serbia and put to immediate use by the Serbian Emergency Relief Committee, clearing the swathes of mud and debris that have engulfed parts of the country.
Earlier this year JCB deployed a £750,000 fleet of Fastrac tractors and backhoe loaders to assist with UK flood clear-up operations. Last year it provided $500,000 worth of machines and generators to the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan struck.
Pictured above are: Lt Col Rob Tomlinson of the British embassy; General Sakib Foric of the Bosnian army; Sinisa Tomasic, regional director of Terra South and Tarik Kamenjasevic, managing director Terra BiH.
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