INTERNATIONAL: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the Petrinja area, south of the capital Zagreb, at 12.20 on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
It was the largest earthquake to hit the country so far this year, with local media reporting significant damage close to the epicentre. A minute earlier, the same area had been hit by another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2.
The mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbovic, said to media that “half of the city was destroyed”. Also Media reported that a 12-year-old girl was killed. The impact of the quakes was also felt across the region.
The quakes had their epicentre close to another one on Monday with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale, which had its epicentre some 12 kilometres south-west of Sisak, 60 kilometres south of Zagreb, near Petrinja.
According to media reports, Tuesday’s quakes also caused damage in Zagreb, disrupting telephone connections and electricity supplies.
“This 2020 is bringing us tragedy after tragedy,” Mr. Plenkovic said, adding that there were many small villages around the two larger towns that had also suffered damage.
While the first tremor on Monday caused no injuries, many buildings had been damaged, putting them in a precarious condition when the second quake
In neighboring Slovenia, the state news agency said the country’s sole nuclear power plant, about 60 miles from the epicenter, was shut down as a precaution.
The Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary said in a statement that it had not shut down production although the earthquake had been felt there.
The region is prone to earthquakes, and experts have warned that the Balkan nations in southeastern Europe have failed to address the risks posed by aging buildings.
There have been a series of serious earthquakes in Croatia in 2020.
On March 22, three large quakes shook Zagreb – the most powerful in 140 years – toppling one of the two spires on the capital’s cathedral and damaging thousands of buildings. Several dozen people were injured.
Nine months after the quakes hit the Zagreb area, many of those whose homes were damaged still do not know when they will be rebuilt, and face a winter living in rented flats, hostels or even.