PETRINJA, Croatia – 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 scaring them to sleep indoors while emergency crews searched for those still missing. missing by evening.
The European Seismological Center for the Mediterranean said the quake struck 6.3 km south-south of Zagreb just before 12:20 local time. It caused widespread damage in the city hardest hit Petrinja. The same area was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 on Monday.
Officials said a 12-year-old girl was killed in Petrinja, a city of about 25,000 people. Another six people were killed, according to HRT state television, in nearly devastated towns near the city. At least 26 people have been admitted to hospital, six of them with serious injuries, officials said.
In Petrinja, cries could be heard from under destroyed houses. About four hours after the quake, one woman was found alive. Emergency teams used rescue dogs in the search for survivors, while family members watched in despair.
“My town was completely destroyed. We have dead children, “said Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic in a statement issued by HRT. “It’s like Hiroshima – half the city no longer exists.”
Firefighters worked to remove the debris from a building that had fallen on a car. A man and a small boy were eventually rescued from the vehicle and taken to an ambulance.
The city was left without electricity or running water while officials scrambled to provide temporary housing for all the displaced residents in need. Residents who were afraid of another earthquake were apparently ready to spend the night outside their homes.
Petrinja resident Marica Pavlovic said the quake felt “worse than a war.”
“It was awful, a shock. “You do not know what to do, whether you have to run out or hide somewhere,” she told The Associated Press.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and other government ministers have arrived in Petrinja following the quake.
“Most of Petrinja is in a red area, which means most buildings are not usable,” Plenkovic said.
He said the army has 500 places in barracks ready to accommodate people, while others will be accommodated in nearby hotels and other places.
“No one may stay in the cold tonight,” the prime minister said.
Officials also toured a damaged hospital in the nearby town of Sisak, which was also badly damaged. Plenkovic said the patients would be evacuated in helicopters and ambulances from the army.
Health officials said a baby was delivered to the tent in front of the hospital in the aftermath of the quake.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said on Twitter that she was talking to Plenkovic and instructed an envoy to travel to Croatia as soon as possible.
As a Mediterranean country, Croatia is prone to earthquakes, but not major. The last strong earthquake occurred in the 1990s when the picturesque town of Ston on the Adriatic Sea was destroyed.
The Croatian army has been deployed in the region affected by the earthquake to help with the rescue operation.
Croatian seismologist Kresimir Kuk described the quake as “extremely strong”, much stronger than another that hit Zagreb and nearby areas in the spring. He warned people to stay out of potentially shaky old buildings and move to newer areas of the city due to aftershocks.
In the capital, people ran into the streets.
The quake was felt throughout the country and in neighboring Serbia, Bosnia and Slovenia. The Austrian press agency felt this way as far as Graz in southern Austria.
Authorities in Slovenia have said that the Krsko nuclear power plant has been temporarily shut down following the earthquake. The power station is jointly owned by Slovenia and Croatia and is located near their border.