EU 'ready to help' after earthquake damages buildings in Croatia

Residents in Sisak inspect damage caused by the earthquake. - Copyright AP Photo

By Euronews with AP, AFP

Published on 28/12/2020 - 17:02•Updated 19:31

The 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital of Zagreb on Monday morning, damaging some buildings in towns south of the city.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is "ready to help" Croatia after an earthquake damaged buildings near Zagreb.

The moderate earthquake struck near the towns of Petrinja and Sisak at around 06:30 CET on Monday. Several smaller tremors were also felt later on.

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) registered the earthquake at around 5.2 magnitude.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but a number of buildings in the south of the capital were damaged, and tremors were also felt in neighbouring Bosnia.

On Monday, European Commission President von der Leyen tweeted the bloc was "following the situation closely and stand ready to help".

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic promised state help in repairing the damage while he visited the quake-hit regions on Monday.

Security cameras in Zagreb also showed parked cars shaking for several seconds, triggering their alarms. Meanwhile, in Sisak, some hospital patients had to be moved to other rooms.

Earlier this year, the Zagreb area was hit by a strong earthquake on March 22, causing substantial damage. One person died and at least 27 were injured.

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