Embankment collapses after being badly built in Kraljevo

KRALJEVO - Part of the embankment on the River Ribnica near Kraljevo, built to provide permanent flood protection to homes along the riverbanks, has been washed away by a swollen river because local firm Zapadna Morava had done a poor constructing job.

The embankment, whose construction was sponsored by a EUR 50,000 donation from the Norwegian government, gave in to a rush of river waters only a few months after it was built, and Zapadna Morava will have to repair the damage at its own expense.

The embankment was very poorly done, and the contractor will have to assume responsibility and bring it back to proper condition at its own expense, Minister of Capital Investment Velimir Ilic said during a visit he has paid to the region of Kraljevo, central Serbia.

The swollen Ribnica has become a threat to some dozen homes after erosion of its banks last year, and building protection along its bed and banks was set as a priority.

Photo Tanjug Video, camera operator Marjan Vucetic