A strong earthquake in Croatia destroyed buildings and killed at least seven people on Tuesday southwest of the capital, displacing many residents of the area or making them afraid to sleep indoors while emergency crews searched for those still missing while dusk.
The European Seismological Center for the Mediterranean said the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 28 miles southeast of Zagreb just before 12:20 pm local time. It caused widespread damage in the hardest hit city of Petrinja. The same area was hit by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Monday.
Authorities said a 12-year-old girl died in Petrinja, a city of about 25,000. Another six people were killed in nearly destroyed villages near the city, according to state television HRT. At least 26 people were hospitalized, six with serious injuries, officials said, adding that many more people remained missing.
In Petrinja, screams could be heard under the destroyed houses. A woman was found alive about four hours after the earthquake. Emergency crews used rescue dogs to search for survivors, while family members watched in desperation.
“My city has been completely destroyed. We have children killed,” said the mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbovic, in a note transmitted by HRT. “This is like Hiroshima – half the city is gone.”
Firefighters worked to remove the debris from a collapsed building that fell into a car. A man and a boy were rescued from the vehicle and taken to an ambulance.
The city ran out of electricity or running water as authorities struggled to create temporary accommodation for all displaced residents who needed it. Residents fearing another earthquake appeared willing to spend the night outside their homes.
Petrinja resident Marica Pavlovic said the earthquake was “worse than a war”.
“It was horrible, a shock. You don’t know what to do, whether to run away or hide somewhere,” she told the Associated Press.
ANTONIO BRONIC / REUTERS
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and other government ministers arrived in Petrinja after the earthquake.
“Most of the center of Petrinja is in the red zone, which means that most buildings cannot be used,” said Plenkovic.
He said the army has 500 ready quarters in barracks to house people, while others will be accommodated in nearby hotels and elsewhere.
“No one should be out in the cold tonight,” said the prime minister.
The authorities also visited a damaged hospital in the nearby town of Sisak, which was also severely affected. Plenkovic said the patients will be evacuated in army helicopters and ambulances.
Health officials said a baby was born in a tent outside the hospital after the earthquake.
European Commission President 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 subject to earthquakes, but not major 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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The Croatian military was deployed to the region affected by the earthquake to assist in the rescue operation.
Croatian seismologist Kresimir Kuk described the earthquake as “extremely strong”, much stronger than the one that hit Zagreb and surrounding areas in the spring. He warned people to stay away from potentially unstable old buildings and move to newer areas of the city because of the aftershocks.
In the capital, people ran into the streets in fear.
The earthquake was felt across the country and in neighboring Serbia, Bosnia and Slovenia. It seemed as far away as Graz, in southern Austria, the Austria Press Agency reported.
Officials in Slovenia said the Krsko nuclear power plant was temporarily closed after the earthquake. The plant is jointly owned by Slovenia and Croatia and is located close to its borders.