Earthquake leaves city in chaos
Matt Nixson
BUILDINGS were destroyed and cars crushed by fallen rubble after a powerful earthquake hit Croatia yesterday.
A 15-year-old girl was left in a critical condition, according to local media, and several other people were injured as masonry rained down on the streets of capital Zagreb.
One of the two spires on the city’s 13th-century cathedral snapped off during the carnage.
The tremor rocked the city at around 6.23am, sending panicked residents rushing into the streets after their homes were violently shaken.
News footage showed scores of cars and trucks crushed flat by rubble, with streets blocked by concrete slabs and bricks.
The 5.3-magnitude earthquake was the biggest to hit the city in 140 years.
The quake struck four miles north of the capital, home to 800,000 people and the country’s largest city, at a depth of six miles.
Distance
Two smaller quakes were recorded later, according to the EuropeanMediterranean Seismological Centre.
Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Bosnia, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and in north-east Italy.
Officials urged people who rushed out on to the streets to keep their distance in light of coronavirus fears.
Prime minister Andrej Plenkovic said: “We have two parallel crises that contradict each other. We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible.
“Stay outside your homes and keep distance.”
Croatian interior minister Davor Bozinovic said: “Keep your distance. Don’t gather together. We are facing two serious crises, the earthquake and the epidemic.
“There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake and at the same time there is a global pandemic, then it’s a much more complex situation.” There were power cuts following the quake and several fires were reported.
Officials first said a 15-year-old had been killed, but doctors later said she was in a critical condition. But there were no immediate details on the extent of other injuries.
News footage showed Croatian soldiers wearing masks and carrying shovels in an effort to clear the streets.
Some citizens criticised city authorities over the poor state of buildings in the old part of the city, some of which date back to the 19th century.
Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic, who earlier urged residents to return to their homes, said: “Eighty per cent of Zagreb residents live in buildings that have reinforced concrete structures.”