Earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hits Croatia, 7 dead

At least seven people were killed, dozens were wounded and several towns in central Croatia were left in ruins after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Croatian officials.

The quake, which hit just after noon local time about 30 miles from the capital, Zagreb, could be felt across the Balkans. It followed a smaller earthquake a day earlier and another in March, rattling residents in the earthquake-prone region.

The epicenter of the quake was near the towns of Petrinja and Sisak, which is home to the region’s largest hospital. Although people injured in the quake were still being taken to the facility to be triaged, including two in critical condition, the government said it would evacuate the patients there.

One person was reported to have been killed in the city. In Petrinja, a town of around 25,000 people, the mayor said he walked by the body of a 12-year-old girl on the street.

“This is a catastrophe,” said the mayor, Darinko Dumbovic. “My city is completely destroyed,” he said in an emotional telephone interview from the scene that was broadcast on Croatian state television.

“We need firefighters; we don’t know what’s under the surfaces, a roof fell on a car. We need help.”