Earthquake kills at least 7 in Croatia

Second to hit in as many days sends rescuers into rubble-strewed streets

SISAK, Croatia－An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck central Croatia on Tuesday, killing at least seven people, injuring more than 20 and rattling neighboring countries, officials and residents said.

Rescuers pulled people from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Petrinja, outside the capital Zagreb, as well as in other towns. Soldiers were sent to the area to help.

Tremors were also felt in Zagreb and as far away as Austria's capital Vienna. Slovenia shut its only nuclear power plant as a precaution.

It was the second quake to strike the area in two days.

The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said it hit at 11:19 GMT at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was in Petrinja, 50 km south of Zagreb.

On Monday morning, the area near the epicenter of Tuesday's quake was hit by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake, but there were no casualties.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved, speaking before the discovery of the quake's seventh victim, said: "In the vicinity of the town of Glina we have five fatalities. Together with a (12-year-old) girl from Petrinja, there are six dead." Tomo was visiting Glina.

News agency Hina, citing firefighters, later reported that the seventh victim had been found in the rubble of a church in the village of Zazina.

Police said at least 20 people were slightly injured and six more severely wounded in the temblor. "The search through the rubble is continuing," police said in a statement.

Throughout the day many aftershocks with a magnitude of at least 3 were recorded.

Tomislav Fabijanic, head of emergency medical services in Sisak, said many people were wounded in Petrinja, as well as in the nearby town of Sisak. Their injuries included fractures and concussion.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who rushed to Petrinja, said: "The army is here to help. We will have to move some people from Petrinja because it is unsafe to be here."

The head of the hospital in Sisak said it was treating 20 people, two with severe injuries.

Widespread damage

The N1 television station showed footage of rescuers in Petrinja pulling a man and a child alive from the debris. Other footage showed a house with its roof caved in. The network's reporter said she did not know if anyone was inside.

The network also said a kindergarten was destroyed in the quake but that there were no children inside at the time. Piles of bricks and tiles littered Petrinja's streets in the aftermath of the quake, and cars parked in the road were smashed by falling debris.

In Zagreb, where people rushed onto the streets, many of which were strewed with broken roof tiles and other debris.

Patients and medical staff were evacuated from Zagreb's Sveti Duh Hospital, with many left sitting in chairs in the street wrapped in blankets.

In Austria's second city Graz, 200 km north of Petrinja, tall buildings wobbled for about two minutes, according to broadcaster ORF. In Carinthia Province, about 300 km northwest of Petrinja, the ground trembled for several minutes and people described how their furniture, Christmas trees and lamps wobbled.

In the wake of the latest earthquake, Slovenia's decision to shut its Krsko nuclear power plant was taken as a precaution. The plant is roughly 80 km northwest of Petrinja.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will support Croatia. On Tuesday she tweeted: "We are ready to support … We stand with Croatia."

Agencies - Xinhua