Two earthquakes injured dozens of people in the Croatian capital Zagreb and caused serious damage. The moderate earthquakes in the EU member country Croatia took place in a sequence of just over half an hour. A 15-year-old, who was recovered from rubble, was fighting for her life in the hospital, reported the private television station RTL, citing hospital doctors.
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The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported the strength of the first quake at 6.24 a.m. on Sunday morning as 5.4 and that of the second quake at 7.01 a.m. at 5.0. The centers of the two quakes were seven and ten kilometers north of Zagreb. It was the worst earthquake to hit Croatia in 140 years.
Bricks fell from roofs, facades cracked, walls collapsed and debris damaged parked cars. Patients had to be brought to safety from two hospitals because parts of the building were badly damaged. The Balkan region is at high risk of earthquakes because the African plate is sliding under the Eurasian one.
The cathedral in the center, the symbol of the city, was also damaged. From the south tower of the Gothic cathedral, the symbol of the city, the spire with the cross fell from a height of more than 100 meters and damaged the roof. The Archbishop’s Palace also suffered damage. The rector of the cathedral, Josip Kuhtic, was shocked. The Cathedral of the Assumption, St. Stephen and Ladislaus is the first and most important Gothic building in Croatia. It was built from the end of the 13th century, incorporating the remains of the previous Romanesque building.
Background about the corona virus:
People ran out of the houses in alarm. The Home Office urged people to stay outside at first, but not to form groups to prevent infection with the novel corona virus.
“Keep your distance. Don’t put yourself together. We’re facing two major crises, the earthquake and the epidemic,” said Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. Croatia had 204 proven infections with the Sars-CoV-2 virus by Sunday, but the numbers are increasing rapidly from day to day.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave courage to the people of Croatia. “Stay strong! The EU is at your side!” Leyen tweeted on Sunday after a phone call with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The earthquake and corona virus created a “very difficult situation for Croatia”. The country also holds the EU Presidency in the first half of 2020. In the second half of the year, Germany will take on the task of coordinating the joint work of the 27 EU countries. (dpa, AFP, KNA)
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