At 12:19 PMCET (11:19UTC) on 29 December 2020, anearthquake of magnitude 6.4Mw (6.2ML) hit centralCroatia, with anepicenter located roughly 3 km (1.9 mi) west-southwest ofPetrinja.[1] The maximum felt intensity was estimated at VIII (Heavily damaging) to IX (Destructive) on theEuropean macroseismic scale.[2] Before this event there were threeforeshocks, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5.2Mw on the day before. The earthquake was followed by numerousaftershocks, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 4.9Mw.
The adversely affected areas were mostly in theSisak-Moslavina County and other nearby Croatian counties, as well as some of the nearby areas ofBosnia andSlovenia. There were nine confirmed deaths, including seven during the quake[7] and two workers from falling debris while repairing damaged structures in the aftermath,[5][6] and 26 people were injured.
The epicenter is located in a hilly area just south of theKupa-Sava alluvial plain, with theZrinska gora mountain and the rest of theDinaric Alps to the south.
ThePokuplje seismic area follows the Kupa river valley fromKarlovac toSisak. This area has been affected by several historical earthquakes, the best known being the major event in 1909 with the epicenter nearPokupsko, with aftershocks that continued into 1910. It had a maximum felt intensity of VIII on theMCS scale. This seismicity has been associated with reactivation of northwest–southeast trendingnormal faults that form the southwestern boundary of thePannonian Basin.[8][9]
The location and depth of this event show that it was anintraplate earthquake that occurred as a result of shallow strike-slip faulting within theEurasian plate. The calculatedfocal mechanism for the event indicates that rupture occurred on a nearly vertical fault striking either to the southeast or southwest.[1]
InPetrinja, the town closest to theepicenter, almost all houses were damaged.[38] The whole town centre was heavily damaged.[39] One elementary school was damaged.[40] Roofs of the town hall and the Church of Saint Lawrence were destroyed.[41] The entire village ofBrest Pokupski near Petrinja was heavily damaged.[39]
The city ofSisak, located roughly 20 km (12 mi) northeast of the epicenter, suffered major damage to its hospital, as well as its city hall. Despite the damage, the hospital was not shut down.[42][43] Most damage was inflicted on old buildings in the center of the town. It is estimated that between 700 and 1,000 houses were damaged in Sisak and nearby villages.[38]
In the village ofStrašnik where theepicenter was located, as well as in the nearby village of Sibić, almost all houses were damaged. Part of the villages' populations were evacuated and tents with food and water were set up.[38]
Majske Poljane is the village that suffered the most damage from the earthquake; all buildings were damaged and many collapsed. It is also the place with the largest number of deaths, out of seven total fatalities five were in Majske Poljane.[44]
InŽažina, one church collapsed, injuring three and killing one other person.[45]
Cover collapsesinkholes have started appearing since the earthquake near the villages ofMečenčani andBorojevići. As of March 2021, there were over 90 of them, some endangering homes. The largest hole was 12 metres (39 ft) deep and 25 m (82 ft) in diameter. While this area lies onkarstic bedrock covered by a layer ofproluvial soil and is ordinarily prone to occasional sinkholes, the quantity, size and location of the sinkholes has prompted the authorities to consider evacuating the villages. According to the geophysicists, the earthquake likely disrupted the underground water currents, accelerating the natural karstification.[46][47] State company Hrvatske vode began remedying the sinkholes, but as of December 2021, new sinkholes were still appearing.[48][49]
InPokupsko, which is roughly 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the epicenter, many buildings were damaged including a school, a kindergarten and an 18th-century church.[50]
In the town ofZaprešić, which is roughly 60 km (37 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter, four residential buildings sustained damage, forcing more than 80 families to leave the town.[51]
Thecity of Zagreb, which is roughly 50 km (31 mi) to the north of the epicenter, was affected with some building damage, power outages, and many residents taking to the streets in distress.[52]
Buildings were damaged in multiple towns across northwesternBosnia and Herzegovina, in theUna-Sana Canton and northernRepublika Srpska, which are roughly between 30 km (19 mi) and 90 km (56 mi) southwest, south, and southeast of the epicenter. Towns which were damaged includeVelika Kladuša,Bihać,Cazin,Kozarska Dubica, andKostajnica, which suffered the most damage from the earthquake. In Kostajnica, astate of emergency was declared, the earthquake caused sixconflagrations, and many buildings were damaged, including the town hall, which was declared out of function.[53]
Buildings were damaged in several areas and towns, mostly near theSlovenia–Croatia border. People reported damage to facades, roofs, and chimneys from the southeastern towns ofKrško andBrežice and the old town ofKostanjevica na Krki, which lie roughly 70 km (43 mi) northwest of the epicenter. TheKrško Nuclear Plant automatically shut down and was later systematically reviewed, with no damage reported. In northeastern Slovenia, roughly 125 km (78 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter, there were power and telecommunication outages in the area of its central town ofMaribor, the municipal building in nearbyPtuj was damaged, and there was damage to the church inSveta Trojica. InLjubljana, the capital, a session ofParliament had to be stopped, and the interior of theParliament building incurred minor damage. No injuries were recorded in the country.[54]
The quake was also felt strongly in many parts ofHungary.[55] However, there was only limited damage recorded. In an old house inEgervár, small cracks appeared and plaster fell.[55] Incounties such asBaranya,Zala,Somogy andTolna, damage consisted of fallen plaster, cracked walls and ceilings, broken windows and, toppled chimneys.[56] Damage in the country is said to have exceeded 100 millionforints.[56]
The quake was felt throughoutAustria.[57] Like inHungary, limited damage was also observed, mostly in the form of cracks on walls and plaster.[57] In Austria, the quake was felt with a maximum intensity of IV (Largely observed) to V (Strong) on theEuropean macroseismic scale.[57]
A total of 26 people were injured, with six having serious injuries. Initial reports showed many buildings destroyed in Petrinja.[34]
A 13-year-old girl died and at least 20 others were injured in Petrinja. The town's mayor, Darinko Dumbović, was quoted stating that half of the town was destroyed.[59][60][61][7][62][63][64] A 20-year-old man and his father were killed when their house collapsed inMajske Poljane nearGlina. Three other people were later found dead in the same village.[65][36] Majske Poljane was the hardest hit of all the settlements affected by the earthquake. One person was later found dead inŽažina after the local church collapsed.[35]
On 3 January 2021, a volunteer rescue worker fell to his death from a building while he was repairing damage from the earthquake.[5] Another worker died on 20 January, after a wall collapsed onto him while he was repairing a house inSisak.[6]
Bosnia and Herzegovina – TheMinistry of Security offered theCroatian Ministry of the Interior – the Civil Protection Headquarters – assistance after the earthquake. The Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Security, after consultations and coordination with institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, made two protection and rescue teams available: the team of the Federal Civil Protection Administration with 42 rescuers, and the team of the Republic Civil Protection Administration ofRepublika Srpska with 18 rescuers, which will be sent to the affected area with their accompanying equipment if the aid is accepted by Croatia.[68]
Bulgaria – TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs offered condolences of the behalf of the Bulgarian people and confirmed that theGovernment of Bulgaria will send €100,000 for the renovation of two buildings with significant cultural value for theBulgarian people in Croatia. Also, Minister of Foreign AffairsEkaterina Zakharieva stated that two of Bulgaria's largest producers of bottled water have expressed desire to help the people of Croatia.[69]
Greece –Prime MinisterKyriakos Mitsotakis offered his condolences to the victims' families while affirming that the Greek General Secretariat for Civil Protection is ready to assist.[71]
Romania – TheDepartment for Emergency Situations (DSU) showed their willingness to intervene and provide support to the Croatian authorities. DSUsearch and rescue teams declared readiness to intervene in Croatia on the basis of the request for assistance made by the Croatian government.[77]Raed Arafat, head of the Emergency Situations Department, requested that the RO-USAR (Romanian – Urban Search and Rescue) teams be prepared to intervene.[78] On 30 December,Prime MinisterFlorin Cîțu announced that his cabinet approved a decision to send approximately €131,500 worth of aid through the DSU and the National Administration of State Reserves, consisting of living containers, tents, beds, mattresses, and sleeping bags.[79]
Serbia –PresidentAleksandar Vučić announced that Serbia is ready to help Croatia both financially and technically.[80] The next day, theGovernment of Serbia decided to donate €1,000,000 to Croatia for repairing the damage from the earthquake.[81] A group of Serbian citizens fromBelgrade gathered in front of the Croatian embassy as a sign of support.[82]Serbian Chamber of Commerce donated additional €50,000.[83]
Slovenia –Prime MinisterJanez Janša offered to send tents, beds, and heaters to help take care of those who lost their homes during the earthquake; he also offered to send experts for damage assessment.[75]
Turkey –PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, in phone calls to his Croatian counterpartZoran Milanović, extended his condolences to Croatia over the magnitude 6.4 earthquake. Erdoğan also stated that Turkey is ready to provide search and rescue teams and all other help that may be needed.[84]
UEFA –President of UEFAAleksander Čeferin donated €50,000 on behalf of the organization. UEFA also organized a charity match betweenCroatia andSlovenia legends in the city, that was played on 13 March 2021 with Slovenia coming from behind to beat Croatia 2–1.[85]
The earthquake prompted a preventive shutdown of theKrško Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia, roughly 100 km (62 mi) away.[86][87] ThePaks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary, roughly 300 km (190 mi) away, also felt the earthquake, but did not cease electricity production.[88]
On 30 December, restrictions on entering and leaving the country were lifted for humanitarian purposes and for earthquake victims.[89] The e-pass system due to COVID-19 which was in place since late December was also cancelled for the same reasons.[90] The tolls on theA11 motorway connecting the region to Zagreb were temporarily lifted. Travel on the motorway remained free as of April 2021.[91]
By the end of 2021, the state authorities in Croatia were still failing to significantly advance reconstruction of numerous towns and villages. Humanitarians likeBranka Bakšić Mitić, who is also vice-mayor ofGlina, kept informing media of terrible living conditions and despair of people of living in the area.[94]
.jpg)
Start of earthquake during live TV in Croatia, Tancredi Palmeri on Twitter,N1 Croatia cut. Recorded in Zagreb, 51 km (32 mi) from epicenter.
Media related to2020 Petrinja earthquake at Wikimedia Commons