Munich Alpine Hazards and Mitigation Cluster (AlpHaz)

Initiation of new research to address recent landslide hazards in the Balkan region


Heavy precipitation (over 200 mm in 3 days) caused by cyclone Tamara as it passed through Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia late last month caused unprecedented debris and earth flows in these areas. Entire sections of villages and smaller towns have been devastated(e.g. Stolice near the town of Mali Zvornik in Serbia shown on the figure above), and 51 people have been confirmed dead. It is estimated that more than 1000 landslides have been triggered by this event in Serbia alone, and ongoing deeper-seated instability remains a distinct possibility. We are very happy that Dr. Miloš Marjanović from the University of Belgrade, Serbia has received a Postdoc fellowship to visit our TUM Landslide Group from June 2014 to May 2015. He will now focus his research on the aftermaths of the May 2014 event on landslide activation, hazard and risk in Serbia. Click here to donate directly to the flood relief efforts.