Croatia earthquake disrupts coronavirus quarantine

The quake caused a lot of damage in Zagreb and was felt in neighboring countries. Government asks the population of the capital to stay away from home, but respecting the social distance necessary to avoid contagion of the new coronavirus.

An earthquake of magnitude estimated at 5.3 degrees Richter caused several injuries this Sunday morning in the Zagreb area, the capital of Croatia. Contrary to what the Reuters agency had initially said, the death of a 15-year-old teenager is not confirmed, but there is official information from two critically ill minors who were hit by debris.

The quake, which was said to have been the strongest in the Croatian capital in 140 years, seriously damaged numerous buildings and caused several fires, prompting residents of the area to flee onto the streets, where cars destroyed by the collapse of walls and roofs were visible.

In a country also grappling with the new coronavirus pandemic , Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic advised citizens in the area to stay out of their homes, while preserving the social distance necessary to avoid spreading the disease.

“There are protocols for an earthquake. But when an earthquake happens combined with a global pandemic, it is a much more complicated situation, “said Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, quoted by Reuters.

In neighboring Slovenia, where the earthquake was also severely felt, there is a record of slight damage and some panic. In the face of some rumors, the Ljubljana government made a point of reporting that there was no damage to the country’s only nuclear power plant.

In addition to these two countries, the quake was also felt in Bosnia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Italy.