A nuclear power plant in Slovenia was closed as a precaution on Tuesday after an earthquake hit Croatia, killing a child and injuring dozens of others.
Many buildings were levelled by the 6.3 magnitude quake, Croatia’s largest in 140 years. The army was called in to support rescue efforts as local footage showed children being pulled from the rubble.
The epicentre was at the town of Petrinja, around 50km south of Zagreb, in central Croatia.
“My town has been completely destroyed, we have dead children,” Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said in a statement broadcast by local network HRT TV. “This is like Hiroshima – half of the city no longer exists.”
“The city has been demolished, the city is no longer liveable,” he said. “We need help.”
Tomislav Fabijanic, the head of emergency medical services in nearby Sisak, said many people had been injured, Reuters reported.
"There are fractures, there are concussions and some had to be operated on," he said.
Tremors could be felt in the Croatian capital, where people rushed out on to the street and debris was strewn across the road, and also in neighbouring Bosnia and Serbia.
Prime Minister Adrej Plenkovic, who arrived at the scene, confirmed that one girl had been killed. "The army is here to help. We will have to move some people from Petrinja because it is unsafe to be here," he said.
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A view of buildings damaged in an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. A strong earthquake has hit central Croatia and caused major damage and at least one death in a town southeast of the capital Zagreb. AP -
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, sixth left, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, seventh left, walk past damaged buildings in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
People move through remains of a building damaged in an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
Soldiers inspect remains of a building damaged in an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
A view of a building damaged in an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, centre, points his finger as he stands next to an elderly woman who was evacuated because of an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
A view of buildings damaged in an earthquake, in Petrinja, Croatia. AP -
A destroyed car is seen on a street after an earthquake in Sisak, Croatia. REUTERS -
Patients and medical staff are evacuated outside the Sveti Duh Hospital after an earthquake in Zagreb, Croatia. REUTERS -
Destroyed houses and a car are seen on a street after an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia. REUTERS -
A man stands on a street next to destroyed houses on a street after an earthquake in Petrinja, Croatia. REUTERS -
A grab of a video taken and released by the Croatian Red Cross on shows people looking through the rubbles and rescuing victims in the streets of Petrinja, after the town was striked by an earthquake of 6,4 magnitude. AFP -
A grab of a video taken and released by the Croatian Red Cross on shows people looking through the rubbles and rescuing victims in the streets of Petrinja, after the town was striked by an earthquake of 6,4 magnitude. AFP -
A grab of a video taken and released by the Croatian Red Cross on shows people looking through the rubbles and rescuing victims in the streets of Petrinja, after the town was striked by an earthquake of 6,4 magnitude. AFP
On Monday, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit central Croatia, while in March a similar strength quake struck Zagreb, causing one death and injuring 27 people.
