Croatia.- A strong earthquake emembered on Sunday Croatia and its capital, causing widespread damage and panic scenes. A 15-year-old girl was in serious condition and the media reported others injured. The European seismological agency, EMSC, estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 5.3 and noted that the earthquake had occurred in an area north of the capital, Zagreb, at 6:23 a.m. (0523 GMT). The epicenter stood 7 kilometers (4 miles) north of Zagreb at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic declared it to be the most powerful earthquake in Zagreb in 140 years. He urged people to stay calm and stay away from their homes, although he acknowledged that the coronavirus crisis made it difficult to work.” We have two parallel crises that are contradictory,” Plenkovic said after an emergency meeting.
We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible, stay out of their homes and stay at a distance,” he added.
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the situation is complicated by restrictive anti-virus measures.” There are rules for when there is an earthquake but when an earthquake occurs at the same time that there is a global pandemic, it is a much more complex situation,” Bozinovic told HINA news agency. Many buildings cracked in Zagreb, with damage to walls and roofs. The streets of downtown were dotted with rubble. Concrete slabs fell on cars, and some chimneys were thrown at the entrances of the buildings. Zagreb’s iconic cathedral was also damaged, and the top of one of its two needles collapsed. The cathedral was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1880.The power supply was briefly interrupted, as the alarms sounded and people ran out of their homes. Several fires were also recorded. At least two other tremors were later detected.
Zagreb Cathedral/AP
Authorities initially said that a 15-year-old girl had died, but medical sources later said that she was still serious and struggling to save her life. They gave no details about the severity of the other wounded. Inside the houses, residents in the area shared images of fallen objects from shelves, glass and broken bottles. Authorities said there were injuries, without giving further details at first. The earthquake occurred in the midst of a partial quarantine in the capital to combat the expansion of a new coronavirus. People were told to avoid public spaces such as parks and public squares, but many had no choice but to do so by fleeing their apartments.
Government instructions allowed meetings of up to five people to keep their distance from each other. Restrictions to combat the virus complicated the situation, said Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time as a global pandemic, then it is a much more complex situation,” Bozinovic told the state agency HINA.
Original source in Spanish
