Un strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit central Croatia at 12.20 today. The earthquake was also felt in Italy - along the entire Adriatic coast, from Trieste to Abruzzo - Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The epicenter was located near Petrinja, a town of 25 inhabitants located 44 km from Zagreb, an area that had already been hit by repeated earthquakes yesterday.
Local media talk about serious damage in Petrinja: the city center is destroyed, many buildings collapsed, including a hospital and a kindergarten, electricity and telephone lines are cut. Confirmed so far seven victims, including a 12-year-old girl who died under the rubble and a 20-year-old boy.
The mayor of the town, Darinko Dumbovic, spoke of total destruction. “The situation is like in Hiroshima. We need help,” he said. There would also be damage in Sisak, not far from Petrinja, where they come from numerous injuries reported. The Croatian Army has been mobilized to provide assistance to the people of central Croatia. According to regional media, at least 300 soldiers have left for the areas affected by the earthquake.
The earthquake was felt throughout Croatia, including the capital Zagreb, where damage to the central government building was reported. In Zagreb, the local authorities have invited the population to go outdoors and to avoid being close to buildings in danger of collapsing.
Il Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic spoke on the phone with the president of the EU commission Ursula von der Leyen, which has promised urgent aid from the Union. "We are ready to help, I asked Commissioner Janez Lenarcik to go to Croatia as soon as the situation allows," said von der Leyen, as reported by local media.
