6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Croatia, Killing 5

Enlarge this image

Croatian soldiers walk next to damaged buildings in Petrinja, some 30 miles from the capital, Zagreb, after the town was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.

Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images

Enlarge this image

Croatian soldiers clean rubble next to damaged buildings in Petrinja, a town of about 24,000 residents.

Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images

Croatian soldiers clean rubble next to damaged buildings in Petrinja, a town of about 24,000 residents.

Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images

A 12-year-old girl was killed in Petrinja and another four people in villages near the town, the Associated Press reported. Officials said at least 20 people were hospitalized, two who have serious injuries.

«My town has been completely destroyed. We have dead children, Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbović said, according to AP. «This is like Hiroshima — half of the city no longer exists.

Dumbović said town residents were pulling people out of cars and did not know of further deaths or injuries. A kindergarten collapsed but there were no children inside, he said.

Buildings in Zagreb also reportedly collapsed. No deaths in the city were immediately reported. A nuclear power plant in neighboring Slovenia was automatically shut down due to the earthquake.

Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said he was on his way to the area and had mobilized recovery efforts. European Council President Charles Michel said the EU «offers its full support and assistance to the people of Croatia.

Izražavam sućut obiteljima stradalih u Petrinji i Glini u razornom potresu. Nadamo se da će broj žrtava biti što manji. Sve službe su na terenu i neumorno rade te pružaju pomoć svima kojima je potrebna. Zahvaljujem svima na požrtvovnosti i trudu! pic.twitter.com/r8poDh0JuI

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) December 29, 2020

Tuesday’s earthquake comes only a day after the country saw a 5.0 earthquake.

There have been three magnitude six earthquakes within 200 kilometers of the area since 1900, the U.S. Geological Survey said.