Strong Earthquake Kills Seven People In Croatia
Tish 
A strong earthquake in central Croatia has killed at least seven people, injured many and caused a significant destruction in Petrinja, a town southeast of the capital Zagreb. The earthquake which downed phone lines and sent Croatians into a state of shock was felt throughout
the country on Tuesday, as well as in neighbouring Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and as far away as Graz in southern Austria. Croatian Defense Minister Tomo Medved reported six deaths. We have a lot of victims. In the vicinity of Glina, in the town of Majske
Poljane, five deaths have been confirmed so far. With a girl from Petrinja, a total of six people died in this devastating earthquake, Medved told reporters in Glina. Later, Ivica Perovic, the chief of Lekenik Municipality, confirmed that a body of a man was found in the wreckage of a local church in the village of Zazine, north of Petrinja, increasing the death toll to seven.
The destruction of Petrinja
The centre of Petrinja as it used to be no longer exists, Croatria’s state HRT television reported, saying people remained inside collapsed buildings. Reporters described scenes of chaos as emergency services rushed to find survivors and treat the injured. More
victims are feared, he said. Army, firefighters, ambulance - everyone is here. I’ve seen firefighters and ambulance cars arrive, emergency workers checked a child for a pulse and transferred them to hospital. They are trying to organise themselves. People are shouting, saying that the nursing home should be attended to first.
Firefighters arrive after an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia December 29, 2020
Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said in a statement broadcast by HRT TV, My town has been completely destroyed, we have dead children. This is like Hiroshima - half of the city no longer exists. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and other government
ministers arrived in Petrinja and Glina after the earthquake. He said the army has 500 places ready in barracks to house people, while others will be accommodated in nearby hotels and other places. No one must stay out in the cold tonight, the prime minister said.
Reporters in the town witnessed a boy and his father being pulled from a car buried in the rubble. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 46km 17 miles southeast of Zagreb. Blanka, a resident of Sisak city, about 14km 8.5 miles from Petrinja, was inside a shop when the
earthquake struck. Everything collapsed, all of our things are inside, she said. I don’t know what to expect. I am still shaking, I can still feel the earthquake. Tomislav Fabijanic, head of emergency medical services in Sisak, said there were many injured in Petrinja and in Sisak. There are fractures, there are concussions and some had to be operated on, he said.
A boy pictured and his father being rescued from a car buried under rubble, in Petrinja, Croatia
Croatian Red Cross said it was responding to a very serious situation in Petrinja following the earthquake. The same area was struck by a 5.2 quake on Monday. In March, an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 hit Zagreb causing one death and injuring 27 people.
Destroyed houses and a car are seen on a street in Petrinja, Croatia December 29, 2020
Croatian seismologist Kresimir Kuk described the earthquake as extremely strong, far stronger than the one in spring. He warned people to keep out of potentially shaky, old buildings and move to the newer areas of the city because of the aftershocks.
Police officers secure the area after an earthquake, in Zagreb, Croatia December 29, 2020
In Zagreb, people ran out into the streets and parks in fear. Many reportedly were leaving the city, ignoring a travel ban imposed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Stephen Hicks, a seismologist at Imperial College in London, tweeted, We can probably expect
quite strong shaking and hence some damage to buildings from this earthquake. Slovenia’s Krsko nuclear power plant was shut down as a precaution, the plant’s spokeswoman said Tuesday. I can confirm the preventive shutdown, spokeswoman Ida Novak Jerele told the media
On Monday, a woman looks out of the roof of a damaged house after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake, in Brest Pokupski village, Croatia
