Second Round of Quakes in Year Cause Panic in Croatia

After a severe earthquake struck the Croatian capital Zagreb in March this year, another series of slightly smaller quakes hit the country south of the capital on Monday.

The strongest one with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale had its epicenter some 12 kilometres southwest of Sisak, 60 km south of Zagreb.

The second and third quakes had lesser magnitudes of 4.7 and 4.1, according to the Croatian seismology service. Numerous others were less significant in strength.

Turbulence was felt throughout central Croatia, according to the media. The worst damage was in the towns of Sisak and nearby Petrinja, but there are no reports yet of possible victims or of the extent of material damage.

"The town hall was damaged and bricks and plaster fell down," the Mayor of Petrinje, Darinko Dumbovic, told N1 television. "People are on the streets, it's panic. Some facilities are so damaged that citizens are afraid to enter them. We will try to find solutions for all the people who cannot sleep in their homes and save them," he said.

The earthquake also alarmed people in Zagreb, according to reports. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and President Zoran Milanovic both went to inspect the situation in Petrinja and Sisak.

"We already had a lot of experience with earthquakes; we will try to list the damage and help Sisak and Petrinja and others that the quake affected so the damage is repaired as soon as possible," Plenkovic said on his visit to Sisak.

On March 22, three large earthquakes shook Zagreb, toppling one of the two spires on the capital's cathedral and damaging thousands of buildings, while several dozen people were injured.

It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb in the last 140 years with the first quake...