Index – Foreign – There was no such devastation in the South Slavic war

For more than 50 hours, the land in Croatia has been practically in constant motion. So far, 53 earthquakes have been measured in our southern neighbor, with the strongest earthquake on Tuesday of magnitude 6.4, according to some reports, even felt in Spain.

So far, seven people have died in the natural disaster, including a 12-year-old girl trapped in the Petrinya ruins. Areas 50 kilometers south of the capital Zagreb were the hardest hit by the earthquake. Five died in Glina and a body was found in the town of Zazina, under the ruins of a collapsed church. There was significant material damage in some 84 Croatian premises.

On Monday, an earthquake was measured on the Richter scale of about 5. Several buildings in Zagreb were damaged, but the situation was under control, we thought it was over. Then the next day, the 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck. This has never been measured here

– recalls the index search by Tomislav Kukec, journalist for the daily Jutarnji list. Kukec is still reporting from the epicenter of the earthquakes, the reporter said Croatia was shocked by the incident. According to many, the death toll remained relatively low only because the disaster occurred during the day. If the population is hit by such an earthquake while it sleeps, surely many more people will be buried under the ruins.

– continues Tomislav Kukec. The greatest destruction took place in the cities of Petrinya and Glina, with more than two thousand buildings destroyed. Rescue operations are underway, but a journalist who told Index said the government was not prepared for such a catastrophe.

Josip Granic, head of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), told local press, saying that along with his civil protection, 169 of his employees are rescuing people in a 24-hour service. They work with sniffer dogs in the field and 19 temporary rescue posts have been set up. Although there have been several serious injuries in addition to deaths as a result of Tuesday’s main earthquake, Granic said the situation is getting better.

There are not enough professionals

However, the mayor of Petrinya, who spoke to Croatian television channel N1, was less optimistic. Darinko Dumbovic said that people are in general panic, many are still searching for their missing loved ones. The report of the local channel shows that the material damage is particularly severe in the city, a part of the settlement was completely destroyed by earthquakes.

According to Tomislav Kukec, correspondent for the region, it is a serious problem that there are not enough specialists for restorations. Work is hampered by the fact that earthquakes are continuous and cause new accidents.

Seven engineers crashed from the top of a building while inspecting a damaged building. Fortunately, he escaped with minor injuries, but the case illustrates the difficulties of recovery.

Kukec continues. However, restoration, especially repair of damaged roof structures, would be urgent. As long as there is no solution to the problem, people will not be able to heat, so in the winter their homes will be unusable.

Many do not even dare to return to their homes. Hundreds of people are in shelters set up in temporary accommodation, military tents and public institutions. Locals who told AFP news agency complained that power supply had not yet been restored in several areas, so they did not want to return to their homes. But hospitals and ambulances are also in trouble, and life-saving surgeries are also hampered by damaged infrastructure.

They don’t want to leave their houses

However, the biggest problem is with those who cling to their homes. According to Tomislav Kukec, many are unwilling to leave their values ​​behind while their property can be dangerous.

In rural areas, many depend on their homes for their livelihoods, farming, and raising animals. They prefer to wait for help at home, but this could lead to more accidents.

Kukec adds. However, we still do not see the end of the tragedy. The population is supportive, many offers have been received from all over the country and various humanitarian organizations are organizing collections. The Croatian government has created a compensation fund of 16 million euros for crisis management, but according to a journalist who told the Index, it already seems that this is unlikely to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, several EU member states and Western Balkan countries have offered to help Croatia mitigate damage from the earthquake, and Hungarian relief is sending six pallets of aid.