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A strong earthquake has hit central Croatia, destroying buildings and causing panicked people to flee to rubble-covered streets in a city southeast of the capital.
Authorities said at least six people were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday (NZT Wednesday).
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said the 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred 46 kilometers southeast of Zagreb. It caused widespread damage in the hardest hit city of Petrinja. The same area was hit by a 5.2 earthquake on Monday (NZT Tuesday).
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A view of the wreckage of a car covered in rubble and buildings damaged by an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia.
Authorities said a 12-year-old girl died in Petrinja, a city of about 25,000 people. Five other people died in a nearly destroyed village near the city, according to state television HRT. At least 20 people were hospitalized, two seriously injured, authorities said, adding that the whereabouts of many more were unknown.
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In Petrinja, screams could be heard from under the destroyed houses. A woman was found alive about four hours after the earthquake. Emergency crews used rescue dogs as they searched for survivors, while family members watched in desperation.
“My city has been completely destroyed. We have dead children, ”Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said in a statement broadcast on HRT. “This is like Hiroshima: half the city no longer exists.”
Uncredited / AP
A strong earthquake struck central Croatia, causing significant damage and at least one death and 20 injuries in a city southeast of the capital Zagreb.
Marica Pavlovic, a resident, said the earthquake felt “worse than a war.”
“It was horrible, a shock, you don’t know what to do, run away or hide somewhere,” he told The Associated Press.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and other government ministers arrived in Petrinja after the earthquake.
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In Petrinja, screams could be heard from under the destroyed houses. A woman was found alive about four hours after the earthquake.
“Most of downtown Petrinja is in a red zone, which means that most of the buildings cannot be used,” Plenkovic said.
He said the army has 500 places ready in barracks to house people, while others will stay in nearby hotels and other places.
“No one should stay outside in the cold tonight,” the prime minister said.
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Emergency crews used rescue dogs as they searched for survivors, while family members watched in desperation.
The authorities also visited a damaged hospital in the nearby town of Sisak, which was also seriously affected. Plenkovic said the patients will be evacuated by helicopters and army ambulances.
Health officials said a baby was born in a tent in front of the hospital after the earthquake.
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The army has 500 barracks places ready to house the people, while others will stay in nearby hotels and other places.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Twitter that she spoke with Plenkovic and instructed an envoy to travel to Croatia as soon as possible.
As a Mediterranean country, Croatia is prone to earthquakes, but not large ones. The last strong earthquake occurred in the 1990s when the picturesque village of Ston on the Adriatic coast was destroyed.
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Soldiers inspect the remains of an earthquake-damaged building in Petrinja, Croatia.
Regional television channel N1 reported from Petrinja that a collapsed building had fallen onto a car. The footage showed firefighters trying to remove debris. A man and a small boy were eventually rescued from the car and taken to an ambulance.
The Croatian army was deployed to the region to assist with the rescue operation.
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The earthquake was felt throughout the country and in neighboring Serbia, Bosnia and Slovenia. It was felt as far away as Graz in southern Austria, the Austrian Press Agency reported.
Croatian seismologist Kresimir Kuk described the earthquake as “extremely strong”, much stronger than another that hit Zagreb and nearby areas in the spring. He warned people to stay away from potentially unstable old buildings and move to newer areas of the city due to aftershocks.
In the capital, people ran into the streets in fear.
Uncredited / AP
The Croatian army was deployed to the region to assist with the rescue operation.
The earthquake was felt throughout the country and in neighboring Serbia, Bosnia and Slovenia. It was felt as far away as Graz in southern Austria, the Austrian Press Agency reported.
Slovenian authorities said the Krsko nuclear power plant was temporarily closed after the earthquake. The power plant is jointly owned by Slovenia and Croatia and is located near their border.
