A strong earthquake hit central Croatia on Tuesday, with reported injuries, as well as considerable damage to buildings south-east of the capital.
ZAGREB, Croatia – A strong earthquake hit central Croatia on Tuesday, causing considerable damage to houses and other buildings in a city southeast of Zagreb, the capital. A man and a boy were taken alive from a car buried in rubble and sent to a hospital.
The European Seismological Center for the Mediterranean said a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 46 kilometers (17 miles) southeast of Zagreb. Initial reports said the earthquake caused major damage, tearing down roofs, building facades and even some entire buildings.
The same area was hit by a 5.2 earthquake on Monday and several minor quakes were felt on Tuesday.
Regional television N1 reported live on Tuesday from the city of Petrinja, which was hit hard in Monday’s earthquake, that a building collapsed on a car. The footage showed firefighters trying to remove the debris to reach the car, which was buried under it. A man and a boy were rescued from the car and taken to an ambulance.
In Petrinja, the streets were filled with fallen bricks and dust and many houses were completely destroyed. The Croatian military was deployed in Petrinja to assist in the rescue operation.
Croatian media said people were injured in the earthquake, but were unable to say how many people were in the midst of confusion and phone lines cut.
Croatian seismologist Kresimir Kuk described the earthquake as “extremely strong”, much stronger than the one that hit Zagreb and nearby areas in the spring. He warned people to stay away from old and potentially unstable buildings and move to newer areas of the city because of the aftershocks.
Tuesday’s earthquake was felt across the country and in neighboring Serbia and Bosnia. It was felt even in Graz, in southern Austria, the Austria Press Agency reported.