An earthquake has shaken Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, destroying buildings and leaving cars crushed by falling pieces of maze.

After a roof collapsed a victim is in a critical condition, local media say. Even snapped off the town’s cathedral spire.

After the tremor on Sunday, the mayor of Zagreb urged people to return to their homes due to fears over the coronavirus.

The 5.3-magnitude quake is the biggest in 140 years that has affected the region.

Apart from the teenager, sixteen others were wounded.

When it reached around 06:00 local time, panicked people rushed out into the streets and were initially told by officials to stay out.

“Keep your distance. Don’t gather together. We are facing two serious crises, the earthquake and the epidemic,” Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said.

However Mayor Milan Bandic later said they should return home. “Eighty per cent of Zagreb residents live in structures that have reinforced concrete structures,” he said.

Several buildings were damaged, including the parliament. It will be out of action until further notice. Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic described the damage as “quite extensive”.

The BBC’s Guy Delauney in the region says the earthquake acted as a cue for some residents to head for their holiday homes on the coast.

But by early afternoon police had closed motorway toll booths and set up control points to prevent people entering coastal districts because of fears of spreading coronavirus, our correspondent reports.

Croatia has more than 200 Covid-19 infections.

People in southern Austria and Slovenia also felt the tremor.

Source : BBC

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