Croatia coronavirus and earthquake: Croatia's Zagreb rocked by powerful earthquake, PM Appeals for Social Distancing
An official of the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences and Hospital said that a major earthquake struck Sunday near the Croatian capital, Zagreb, in which a teenager was seriously injured when an apartment building in the city collapsed.
The impact of a massive earthquake in Croatia and its capital on Sunday caused widespread damage and panic. The condition of a 15-year-old man was stated to be critical and others were injured.
The European Seismic Agency, EMSC, said the quake measured 5.3 and hit a wide area north of the capital Zagreb at 6:23 am (0523 GMT) on Sunday. The epicenter of the earthquake was 7 kilometers (4 mi) north of Zagreb at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 mi).
Another minor was badly injured and the quake caused several fires and power blackouts in parts of the capital, hospital and emergency services said.
Amidst possible obstacles, Prime Minister Lady Plenkovic called on citizens to stay outside their homes. Plenkovic and Interior Minister Diver Bozinovic also appealed to people to take to the streets to maintain social distance from each other as the country struggles to stop the spread of coronovirus. There have been 206 cases of the virus and one death in Croatia so far.
Many buildings in Zagreb cracked and damaged walls and ceilings. The streets of the city were strewn with debris. Slabs of concrete fell on the cars and the chimney descended in front of the entrances.
Photographs from the scene show that the mothers dressed in nightgowns taking their newborns to the parking lot as they evacuated a maternity hospital amid the freezing temperatures.
"We will do our utmost to make the best estimate of what to do at the moment. There are protocols when it comes to an earthquake. But when it comes to an earthquake combined with the global pandemic, then it is a much more complicated situation," Bozinovic told local media.
Plenkovic said the quake, with a magnitude of 5.3 according to GFZ, was the biggest to hit Zagreb in 140 years. It struck 6 km north of the city and was felt across the Western Balkans.
The iconic cathedral of Zagreb was also damaged with a top of its two spiers. The church was rebuilt after the 1880 earthquake.
Electricity was cut off as soon as people came out of their homes. Several fires were also carried out. At least two more setbacks were later recorded. Residents shared photos of shelves, broken bottles and glass fall items inside the house.
Zarko Rasik, head of the children's hospital Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute, said a 15-year-old was in critical condition after being found by an emergency services team under a collapsed building and another minor was admitted with a head injury. . Roof fall He did not provide more information about the identity of the individuals.
The Zagreb fire department said fire and rescue operations were continuing at several locations.
The earthquake occurred amidst partial lockdown of the capital due to outbreak of coronavirus. People were told to avoid public areas, such as parks and public squares, but had no choice as they flee their habitats.Five people are allowed to be together when keeping a distance.
The Zagreb Fire Department said firefighting and rescue operations were ongoing at several locations.
The situation is contradictory, we invited people to stay home to avoid the spread of the corona virus, and now we are advising them to leave their homes, Plenkovic told a news conference.
Plenkovic said the army had been called in to help clean up debris in Zagreb and urged citizens to "stay outside and keep your distance".
GFZ reduced the intensity of the earthquake from the initial reading of 6.0.
Prime Minister Lady Plenkovic said the earthquake was the largest in Zagreb in the last 140 years. He urged citizens to remain calm and stay outside their homes in the central parts of Zagreb, causing the most damage. "We have two parallel crises that contradict each other," Plenkovic said after an emergency meeting of Croatia's top officials.
"It lasted over 10 seconds. By far the strongest I have ever felt," one witness said, adding that it was followed by several aftershocks.
A Reuters reporter on the scene saw a church bell tower damaged, some buildings fell down as people fled apartments and took to the streets.
The government convened an urgent cabinet meeting and said it would hold another press conference on Sunday afternoon.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 5.4, while the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported 5.3 magnitude, followed by another 5.1 magnitude earthquake.
(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru, Igor Ilic in Zagreb and Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo; Editing by Sam Holmes/Christopher Cushing/Susan Fenton)
Croatia's military and all emergency services will begin clearing the roads as soon as possible, while the assessment will begin the damage at the same time.
"We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible," he said. "Stay outside your homes and keep distance."
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the situation was complicated by the restrictive virus-related measures in place.
"There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time when there is a global pandemic, then it's a much more complex situation." Bozinovic told the state news agency.
An official of the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences and Hospital said that a major earthquake struck Sunday near the Croatian capital, Zagreb, in which a teenager was seriously injured when an apartment building in the city collapsed.
The impact of a massive earthquake in Croatia and its capital on Sunday caused widespread damage and panic. The condition of a 15-year-old man was stated to be critical and others were injured.
The European Seismic Agency, EMSC, said the quake measured 5.3 and hit a wide area north of the capital Zagreb at 6:23 am (0523 GMT) on Sunday. The epicenter of the earthquake was 7 kilometers (4 mi) north of Zagreb at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 mi).
Another minor was badly injured and the quake caused several fires and power blackouts in parts of the capital, hospital and emergency services said.
Amidst possible obstacles, Prime Minister Lady Plenkovic called on citizens to stay outside their homes. Plenkovic and Interior Minister Diver Bozinovic also appealed to people to take to the streets to maintain social distance from each other as the country struggles to stop the spread of coronovirus. There have been 206 cases of the virus and one death in Croatia so far.
Many buildings in Zagreb cracked and damaged walls and ceilings. The streets of the city were strewn with debris. Slabs of concrete fell on the cars and the chimney descended in front of the entrances.
Photographs from the scene show that the mothers dressed in nightgowns taking their newborns to the parking lot as they evacuated a maternity hospital amid the freezing temperatures.
"We will do our utmost to make the best estimate of what to do at the moment. There are protocols when it comes to an earthquake. But when it comes to an earthquake combined with the global pandemic, then it is a much more complicated situation," Bozinovic told local media.
Plenkovic said the quake, with a magnitude of 5.3 according to GFZ, was the biggest to hit Zagreb in 140 years. It struck 6 km north of the city and was felt across the Western Balkans.
The iconic cathedral of Zagreb was also damaged with a top of its two spiers. The church was rebuilt after the 1880 earthquake.
Electricity was cut off as soon as people came out of their homes. Several fires were also carried out. At least two more setbacks were later recorded. Residents shared photos of shelves, broken bottles and glass fall items inside the house.
Zarko Rasik, head of the children's hospital Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute, said a 15-year-old was in critical condition after being found by an emergency services team under a collapsed building and another minor was admitted with a head injury. . Roof fall He did not provide more information about the identity of the individuals.
The Zagreb fire department said fire and rescue operations were continuing at several locations.
The earthquake occurred amidst partial lockdown of the capital due to outbreak of coronavirus. People were told to avoid public areas, such as parks and public squares, but had no choice as they flee their habitats.Five people are allowed to be together when keeping a distance.
The Zagreb Fire Department said firefighting and rescue operations were ongoing at several locations.
The situation is contradictory, we invited people to stay home to avoid the spread of the corona virus, and now we are advising them to leave their homes, Plenkovic told a news conference.
Plenkovic said the army had been called in to help clean up debris in Zagreb and urged citizens to "stay outside and keep your distance".
GFZ reduced the intensity of the earthquake from the initial reading of 6.0.
Prime Minister Lady Plenkovic said the earthquake was the largest in Zagreb in the last 140 years. He urged citizens to remain calm and stay outside their homes in the central parts of Zagreb, causing the most damage. "We have two parallel crises that contradict each other," Plenkovic said after an emergency meeting of Croatia's top officials.
"It lasted over 10 seconds. By far the strongest I have ever felt," one witness said, adding that it was followed by several aftershocks.
A Reuters reporter on the scene saw a church bell tower damaged, some buildings fell down as people fled apartments and took to the streets.
The government convened an urgent cabinet meeting and said it would hold another press conference on Sunday afternoon.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 5.4, while the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported 5.3 magnitude, followed by another 5.1 magnitude earthquake.
(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru, Igor Ilic in Zagreb and Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo; Editing by Sam Holmes/Christopher Cushing/Susan Fenton)
Croatia's military and all emergency services will begin clearing the roads as soon as possible, while the assessment will begin the damage at the same time.
"We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible," he said. "Stay outside your homes and keep distance."
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the situation was complicated by the restrictive virus-related measures in place.
"There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time when there is a global pandemic, then it's a much more complex situation." Bozinovic told the state news agency.
