"She wanted to escape the hell": Bosnian seasonal worker likely victim of Omiš wildfire

"She wanted to escape the hell": a large wildfire that swept from the Lokva Rogožnica area toward Omiš overnight has left one person dead and more than 40 injured, authorities and local reports say. The blaze spread down slopes above the town, threatened buildings and forced evacuations of residents and tourists.

During a scene examination crews found a body, and around 13:00 it was confirmed that a young person had been located near the fire zone; the sex and identity of the deceased were not officially established at that time. Witnesses said the person had been inside a car with two other women on the Adriatic Highway near Mala Luka. When the flames surrounded the vehicle the three got out; one of them was trapped in a ring of fire and did not survive, while the two others escaped but suffered serious injuries.

Unofficial information circulating in the hours after the blaze suggested the burned body could be that of a missing Bosnian citizen. Some local sources indicated the victim might be a woman from Stanići registered as living there, and — in separate reports — appeals were issued seeking a 34-year-old Dragana Antešević from Kotor Varoš, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Earlier mentions in some accounts also referred to a 23-year-old missing woman; the age and final identification had not been officially confirmed.

Medical situation and wounded

Medical teams treated dozens of wounded. Initial on-site reports said eight people were in serious condition. In Zagreb, doctors at the Clinic for Traumatology were reported to be fighting for the lives of four patients, aged 18 to 46, who suffered burns to 40–70 percent of their bodies, while five more were said to be in critical condition.

Rescue services continued searches in the burned area near Stanići and around the site where the vehicle was found. Local residents described frantic attempts to flee as the fire advanced with extreme speed, turning roads and coastal tracks into scenes of chaos for people trying to reach safety.

At the same time, firefighters battled another large blaze on Dugi Otok near Brbinje that broke out overnight. Rough, steep terrain and thick maquis hampered efforts there; about 100 firefighters with 17 vehicles were engaged, assisted by two helicopters. The fire there was split into two fronts stretching roughly 1.6 km, though crews reported they had defended houses and summer shelters and so far no property damage had been recorded in those bays. Several other smaller fires in Zadar County were extinguished during the night; a modest fire on the island of Iž was brought under control by morning.

The human cost of the Omiš-area fires reverberated beyond the immediate scene: appeals for missing persons and reports of dozens injured highlighted the scale of the disaster, while investigations and identification efforts were ongoing.

Photo: Nestali.hr