Magnitude 6.3 strikes, 7 deaths reported

PETRINJA, CROATIA » A strong earthquake in Croatia destroyed buildings and killed at least seven people Tuesday southwest of the capital, displacing scores of area residents or making them afraid to sleep indoors as emergency teams searched for those still missing by nightfall. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said the magnitude 6.3 quake hit 28 miles southeast of Zagreb just before 12:20 p.m. local time. It caused widespread damage in the hardesthit town of Petrinja. The same area was struck by a magnitude 5.2 quake on Monday. Officials said a 12-year- old girl died in Petrinja, a town of some 25,000 people. Another six people were killed in nearly destroyed villages close to the town.