PETRINJA, Croatia (AP) – The aftershocks shook central Croatia on Wednesday, the day after an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 killed at least seven people, injured dozens and left several cities and towns in ruins.
The strongest, a 4.7 magnitude quake, was recorded near the heavily damaged city of Petrinja, some 40 kilometers southeast of the capital, Zagreb. Many people spent the night in tents, their cars or military barracks.
A rescuer passes a building damaged in an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia, Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A strong earthquake hit central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death and about 20 injured in the city. southeast of the capital Zagreb. (Photo AP)
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Neven Pavkovic, a resident, said the tremors kept him awake: “It was a difficult night, I slept maybe half an hour.”
In the village of Majske Poljane, where five people died, a little boy can be seen sleeping in a van in the cold morning.
Hiccupping villagers said they received blankets, food and other aid, but do not know what they will do next. The rain that fell during the night turned the dust from the rubble into mud, adding to the difficulties.
A view of the buildings damaged in an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia, Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A strong earthquake struck central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death and about 20 injuries in the city south east of capital Zagreb. (Photo AP)
“We cannot say ‘good morning’. It is not good,” Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic told Croatian radio. “We had the third and fourth tremors this morning, short but strong. What hasn’t fallen before is now falling from the ruins of Petrinja.”
“Fear has infiltrated people,” he said.
Pope Francis prayed for the victims. At the end of his weekly audience, he said, “I pray particularly for those who have died and for their families.”
A man is standing in the rubble of buildings damaged in an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia, Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A strong earthquake struck central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death and about 20 injured in the city southeast of the capital Zagreb. (Photo AP)
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the government will declare Saturday as a day of national mourning. As the government abolished the ban on travel between counties that was imposed during the holidays because of the coronavirus pandemic, Plenkovic appealed out of respect for other measures.
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“We are still fighting COVID-19, it would not be good to relax now,” said Plenkovic at a government session.
A view of the remains of a car covered in debris and buildings damaged in an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia, Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A strong earthquake struck central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death and 20 wounded in a city southeast of the capital Zagreb. (Photo AP)
Rescuers spent the night looking for possible survivors in the rubble of heavily damaged buildings.
Authorities said a 12-year-old girl died in Petrinja, a city of about 25,000. At least 26 people were hospitalized with injuries.
Tuesday’s earthquake, the strongest in Croatia since the introduction of the modern seismic measurement system, was felt across the region, including neighboring Bosnia, Serbia and Slovenia.
People walk among the rubble of buildings damaged in an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia, Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A strong earthquake struck central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death and about 20 injured in the city southeast of the capital Zagreb. (Photo AP)
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Croatia’s central region was also hit by a 5.2 earthquake on Monday.