Rescuers continued to search for survivors of the violent earthquake that hit central Croatia on Tuesday evening, causing panic, razing houses and killing at least seven people, according to a provisional toll. The locality of Petrinja and its surroundings were severely affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake, which was also felt in neighboring countries and even as far away as Vienna. Some of the 20,000 inhabitants were preparing to spend the night outside for fear of possible aftershocks. According to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), the epicenter was located about fifty kilometers southeast of Zagreb, in the region of Sisak, shaken the day before by a less powerful earthquake.
“The search for survivors in the rubble continues,” said the Interior Ministry late Tuesday evening. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced that seven lifeless bodies had been found in the rubble and “there are likely to be more” victims. According to European Union crisis management officer Janez Lenarcic, the EU has planned to send relief supplies including “winter tents, beds and sleeping bags, as well as containers that can be used as shelters”. He announced that he would be there on Wednesday.
Croatian police say a young girl was killed in Petrinja and five people in the nearby village of Glina. About twenty people are injured, six of them seriously. Electricity was cut off in Petrinja and, after dark, the city center was still dark. In the main square, several buildings were completely destroyed. The police and the army were busy clearing the debris using backhoes.
Night in the car
Fearing another shock, residents like Vesna, a 70-year-old pensioner, were preparing to spend the night in their car. “My granddaughters are already there. We are afraid to go home, ”she told Agence France-Presse. Retirees gathered in a park, wrapped in blankets.
“All the tiles in the bathroom are broken, all the dishes are on the floor,” said Marica Pavlovic, a 72-year-old former worker. “Even if we wanted to go home, we couldn’t, there is no more electricity”. “The city is nothing more than a field of ruins. There is general panic, ”commented the mayor, Darinko Dumbovic. The town hospital was also without electricity. The N1 television channel broadcast images showing patients lighting up with their mobile phones.
Nuclear power station shut down
The earthquake also shook the capital Zagreb, where residents rushed into the streets and roof tiles crashed into the roadway. In a supermarket, goods fell from shelves and bottles shattered on the floor, according to images posted on social media. The earthquake was felt as far as Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia, but also in Austria and Hungary. The Slovenian nuclear power plant in Krsko was shut down “as a precaution”.
In March, Zagreb was hit by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that caused extensive damage. The Balkans are an area of strong seismic activity and earthquakes are frequent there. In November 2019, more than 50 people were killed in Albania in an earthquake that also left thousands homeless.
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