6.4 Earthquake in Croatia

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake recently hit Croatia on Tuesday, December 29th, 2020. At least seven people were reported dead after the quake and dozens were left injured. According to Marc Santora and Joe Orovic of The New York Times, the earthquake was felt as far as the Balkans and even Hungary.

The 6.4 earthquake that devastated Croatia came shortly after another small-scale earthquake that hit the day before. There was widespread destruction throughout the Croatian city of Zagreb, as half of the city's capitol building collapsed after the tremors. Citizens of Zagreb and nearby cities were left without running water and electricity for days. One of the region's largest hospitals was at the epicenter of the earthquake between the towns of Petrinja and Sisak. The hospital ended up having to be evacuated, along with roughly forty COVID-19 patients.

Following the earthquake, the Croatian government made the decision to lift travel bans with the goal of bringing in help for its citizens faster. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed, forcing citizens to travel to the homes of relatives for temporary shelter.

According to Andrej Plenković, the Croatian Prime Minister since 2016, the Croatian government secured 120 million kuna to help in relief efforts, which translates to around $19 million USD. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was also activated to help provide disaster relief following the quake. Additional tremors are expected to affect the surrounding areas in the weeks to come.