Magnitude 6.4 – Croatia: Severe earthquake shakes the region near Zagreb – News



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  • A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Croatia at noon on Tuesday. The images show enormous devastation in the centers of the small towns Sisak and Petrinja southeast of Zagreb.
  • A twelve-year-old girl was killed in Petrinja, according to media reports, there should have been at least one other victim.
  • The epicenter of the second earthquake in Croatia in 30 hours was 45 kilometers southeast of Zagreb. On Monday, earthquakes of magnitude 5.2 and 5.0 were registered in the same area.

Earthquake devastated the small town of Petrinja

In Petrinja, a reporter for the daily “Jutarnji List” reported dramatic scenes. The sirens of fire trucks and ambulances blared through the city. Fearing new earthquakes, the residents retreated to the small city park. Rescue teams searched for victims under the rubble.

The nearby district capital, Sisak, was also severely affected. The city’s administration headquarters had collapsed midway, said Mayor Kristina Ikic-Banicek of Croatian television HRT.

Quick EU aid announced

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After the severe earthquake, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised aid to Croatia. “We are ready to support,” he wrote on Twitter after a conversation with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. He asked Humanitarian Commissioner Janez Lenarcic to travel to the earthquake area as soon as possible. “We are on the side of Croatia,” emphasized von der Leyen.

There was considerable property damage in the capital, Zagreb. The earthquake was felt throughout Croatia, but also in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, even in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Slovenia shut down the Krsko nuclear power plant due to the earthquake, Slovenian news agency STA reported. It is right on the border with Croatia. Shutdown is a standard process in such situations.

Region repeatedly hit by earthquakes

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In recent decades, the Balkan region has repeatedly experienced earthquake disasters.

  • In July 1963, an earthquake destroyed the center of Skopje, the capital of the then Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and what is now North Macedonia. More than 1000 people died.
  • In October 1969, an earthquake devastated the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka, just 100 kilometers from the epicenter of the most recent earthquake in Croatia. 15 people died.
  • In March 1977, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Romanian capital, Bucharest, killing about 1,600 people.

It was only on Monday that tremors of magnitude 5.2 and 5.0 were recorded in the same area of ​​Croatia. In March, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake caused extensive damage in Zagreb.

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