Petrinja Earthquake: Stepfather of Tragic Laura Describes Special Child
December the 31st, 2020 - On the very last day of what has been an absolutely horrendous year, the funeral of tragic 13-year-old Laura who lost her life during the devastating Petrinja earthquake is set to take place.
Index/Martina Paucek Sljivak sat down and talked to Laura's grieving stepfather Darko Culig, who spoke about what young Laura was like.
"I want people to know what a special girl she was. She was cheerful, happy and she loved singing and dancing more than anything else, she was so generous, she had such a big heart. On December the 22nd, she turned 13 and got some money from her grandparents for her birthday and she spent it on buying us all Christmas presents. She was amazing,'' Laura's severely shaken stepfather says as he begins his story.
"Laura was special"
He tells us how he met Laura when she was eight years old.
"Although at first it was hard for her to get used me as well as her dad's new wife, we later developed a very special relationship, I loved her so much. Laura had a little brother, Filip, on her father's side, who is still a baby. We both had a wonderful relationship, full of love and trust. She would confide in me about something rather than to her biological parents, I was a person she trusted, she would be the first to reveal some things to me, who she liked, and if she did something wrong, she would often say to me: ''Darko, come on, be on my side.''
She loved singing and dancing, we should've sent her to some supertalent show, even as a child she loved to entertain people, do impressions of them, she loved to watch the Dobro jutro komisija series, that was her favourite series, we always called her little Vidoslava after one of the characters from the series because she had a bun like her. She was always cheerful and smiling. She never wanted for anything, she was extremely modest, generous, she thought of all of us all the time, she went constantly to visit her grandparents to see how they were doing. In the evenings she loved to joke around with me, she played all the time,'' Laura's stepfather described to Index.
We could all hear in the video the painful cries of his wife Snjezana, Laura's mother who found her child dead following the Petrinja earthquake, and there is nothing worse than that...
He and his wife are now sleeping in the car, and he described what happened on the fateful morning of the Petrinja earthquake.
"My wife got an injection right away that day, she's on pills now, this is unimaginably difficult, but she's also incredibly strong. The day it happened, Laura was in town with her grandmother, aunt and cousin. I was in the house and I barely escaped from it, my wife was at work. I couldn't get her on the phone. I went out to my car to get to town somehow and then I noticed my wife, she said to me: Take me to the square, something has happened to Laura. She was called by her ex-husband, Laura's father, who was called to say that Laura had died, you know everything else,'' a traumatised Darko explained.
"We are all together with my in-laws, three families, so it's a little easier for her, we talk all the time about Laura, what she was like, what she loved to do, but today it will be very difficult. "Even though it was said that the funeral should be in the family circle only, I can't tell anyone not to come, whoever wants to, they can come,'' Darko said, added that he must be strong for the sake of his wife, as she needs to lean on him.
The two of them have been sleeping in the car in front of their mother-in-law's house for two days now. So far, he says, they have enough food, and Snjezana's parents' neighbour from the coast has also published Darko's bank account details, to which people can pay their donations should they be in the position to do so.
"She was supposed to come home at noon today."
He confirmed to Index that the account details published were indeed his and that people had already started paying.
"I've heard that some have already started with fake accounts, but the one that was published is ours, the donations are coming, but I wouldn't like them to pay only to us, pay to others, too, please, it's hard for everyone. And when I remember saying to Laura that she'd be coming home today at noon because I'm cooking lunch. She'd been at her dad's for the festive period since December the 26th and she was supposed to come home today, and instead we're seeing her off and bidding her farewell, I still just can't believe it," Darko uttered.
Anyone who wants and can help with donations to Darko's family can make a payment in the name of Darko Culig, HR1524840083235299861. For payments from abroad: BIC: RZBHHR2XXXX.
For more on the Petrinja earthquake, please follow our dedicated section.
Interview: HGSS Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja
December 31, 2020 – Croatian firemen, army, police and medical workers worked through after the earthquake in Sisak Moslavina County on 29 December 2020. We wanted to get a sense of the demand on and the experiences of emergency services, so we spoke with Josip Granić. Head Of Service for HGSS, who was coordinating the efforts of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja
This interview took place in Petrinja, just before 12.30pm on Wednesday 30 December 2020
Right now we have around 120 people here. Last night we sent some home. During the height of the operation, we had 192 members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja and the surrounding towns and villages. Firefighters and police from all over Croatia came. There are more than 200 army personnel here too.
Because we are part of the operational team of the National Civil Protection, we were already here and involved in the response to the first earthquake. After yesterday's earthquake, I called each HGSS station across Croatia and asked them to prepare at least one vehicle and one team to come and join the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja. The first extra teams to arrive were from this county - Sisak and Novska. They got here around 2pm. Teams from Orebic, Peljesac and Split arrived maybe last, because of the large distance they had to travel. One team came by car, another came by helicopter.
What was the situation like for Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja when the wider team first started to arrive after the second day's larger earthquake?
If I said it was chaos, that wouldn't be strong enough a word. The centre of the town was chaos. Everyone was busying themselves with responding – people were moving debris, firefighters were making their way through, ambulances and police moving through, people of the city in the streets helping out. The streets were filled with dust and smoke. You could hear the sounds of floors and roofs and buildings collapsing all around you.
What were the first undertakings for the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja?
Well, our first response was not only in Petrinja – we were immediately in some of the surrounding villages too. The very first thing we did was send in our search teams and the specially trained dogs we work with. We were instructed by locals. They told us which of the collapsed buildings were likely to have people trapped beneath them. We immediately found one person. It was in the town hall. One lady. The entire ceiling had fallen on top of her. Our colleague from Ogulin found her with his dog. The firefighters worked so fast, so hard to dig her out. They were excellent. It took four and a half hours to get her out. She was lucky. Unfortunately, we also found four more people who were already dead.
We saw quite a lot of volunteers. Who is organising them?
There are many different groups. Many local people were the first ones out on the streets, volunteering. Then, those from the immediate area came - four friends in a car, that kind of thing. |NGOs arrived next – veterans, charities and so on. Then, football fans from all over Croatia arrived. Supporters groups had organised coaches to bring themselves here. At first, nobody was organising them and it was a bit of a problem. They organised themselves. But, it was such chaos that some emergency vehicles, including search and rescue teams of Croatian Mountain Rescue Service in Petrinja, could not pass through the town. This is dangerous because, in search and rescue, your ability to respond quickly is vitally important. After dark, things began to run more smoothly. Many worked until 3am or 4am, then they were sent home. The ones who didn't arrive until much later in the night were incorporated into Civil Protection and assigned to work the next day in villages and towns outside Petrinja, where help was needed.
How has the demand on what you do changed since yesterday?
It hasn't changed that much. We have been visiting villages throughout the county as quickly as we can, searching for people who may be trapped. Some of these places have not yet been reached by the other emergency services, but they will get to them. We found another alive person who was trapped today. Since early in the morning we have searched 84 villages.
What advice would you give someone who wants to come here to volunteer?
Organise it first with Civil protection. If it is organised with them, then you know you won't be in the way and you will be going to where help is needed. If it's organised with them first, then come. There's a job for everyone who wants it here.
How different is the demand on emergency services in this earthquake compared to the earthquake in Zagreb in March 2020?
Well, our services were not requested during the Zagreb earthquake and a lot of that is because of the structural integrity of the buildings in Zagreb. Most were strong enough to survive that big earthquake. The ones which were damaged were only partially damaged. Many buildings in Zagreb were hardly damaged at all and so many people in Zagreb were relatively unaffected by that earthquake. Here, everyone is affected.
All images © HGSS
Islamic Community, Serb Orthodox Church Call for Helping Croatia Quake Victims
ZAGREB, Dec 31, 2020 - The Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serb Orthodox Church on Wednesday announced they would help those affected by a 6.2 earthquake in Croatia, calling on their members to sympathise with their neighbours in Croatia.
The leader of the Islamic Community, Husein Kavazovic, recalled how much Croatia helped BiH during the 1990s war.
"We can't help but remember the generosity of our Croatian neighbours who, during the aggression on BiH, welcomed and supported us and showed understanding for what we were going through," he said in a letter to Croatian Ambassador to BiH Ivan Sabolic.
"Now that Croatian citizens have been put to a difficult test, we feel the need to offer words of support and consolation for those who have lost their dearest ones or been injured," Kavazovic said.
He added that the Islamic Community had contacted itsMeshihat in Zagreb and announced that it would organise a collection of funds for those in Croatia affected by the tremor.
The Metropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana has invited all people of good will to join in the humanitarian campaign, the Serb Orthodox Church said, adding that Metropolitan Porfirije wished for solidarity as well as "kindness and love to reach everyone who needs assistance in this difficult moment."
Another Tremor Rocks Petrinja Measuring 3.9 on Richter Scale
ZAGREB, Dec 31, 2020 - Croatia's Seismological Survey registered a magnitude 3.9 earthquake at 9.15 a.m. on Thursday with the epicentre 10 km west of Petrinja.
The tremor was felt in the wider area, including Zagreb, and there are no reports of damage for now.
The Seismological Survey registered a 3.7 earthquake at 4.43 a.m. today as well with the epicentre near Petrinja which was felt in Zagreb too.
The Petrinja area was struck by 6.2 quake on Tuesday, killing seven and causing enormous damage.
Croatian Seismological Service Publishes Central Croatia Earthquake Map
December 31, 2020 - The Croatian Seismological Service published a map of earthquakes in Croatia since the devastating 6.3 quake hit central Croatia on Tuesday, i.e., from December 29, 2020, at 12:19 until 30.12.2020, at 22:00.
Recall that on December 28, 2020, at 6:28 am, there was a strong earthquake with an epicenter near Petrinja (M 5.0) that preceded the devastating earthquake on December 29, 2020, at 12:19, with an epicenter of 5 km southwest of Petrinja (45.4002N, 16.2187E, depth 11.5km), magnitude 6.2 according to Richter (intensity at the epicenter - VIII-IX degrees on the EMS scale).
A large number of subsequent quakes followed this quake.
A map of the epicenter of the earthquake near Petrinja from 29.12.2020, at 12:19 until 30.12.2020, at 22:00 can be seen below.
Kartu preliminarnih epicentara potresa kod Petrinje u razdoblju od 29.12.2020. u 12:19 do 30.12.2020. u 22:00 te statistiku ručno lociranih potresa od 28.12. u 06:28 do 29.12. u 19:00 možete vidjeti na našim stranicama https://t.co/fle6BVOvQ0 pic.twitter.com/CUO6nVC1jg
— Seizmološka služba HR (@seizmo_hr) December 30, 2020
Time distribution of the earthquake from 28.12.2020, at 06:28 to 29.12.2020, at 19:00
Earthquake magnitude from 28.12.2020, at 06:28 to 29.12.2020, at 17:00
Distribution of earthquake magnitudes from 28.12.2020, at 06:28 to 29.12.2020, at 19:00
Croatia was rocked by a strong earthquake on Tuesday afternoon. At 12.19 pm, seismologists recorded a devastating earthquake with an epicenter five kilometers southwest of Petrinja at a depth of 11.5 kilometers. The Richter magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2.
Many weaker earthquakes followed, and all earthquakes had an epicenter near Petrinja and its surroundings.
From 12.23 to 12.58 on Tuesday, the largest number of subsequent earthquakes occurred, as many as 10 - with Richter magnitudes greater than 3.
At least seven people were killed. That is a number that has been confirmed, and it is not excluded that more victims will be discovered later.
Among the dead are a 12-year-old girl in Petrinja, a 20-year-old boy from one house, a grandfather from another, and a father and son from the same house in Majske Poljane near Glina, Glina Deputy Mayor Branka Bakšić Mitić confirmed. It was later confirmed that another male had died in Majske Poljane.
After a seven-hour search, the body of a man killed under the ruins of a church in Žažina was found.
At least six people were seriously injured, and 20 were slightly injured, the Ministry of the Interior announced.
Source: Index.hr
DECEMBER 31 UPDATE - FOLLOW THE LATEST NEWS HERE
Majske Poljane Video Reports Show Extent of the Earthquake Tragedy
December 31, 2020 - The Croatian media has published various Majske Poljane videos showing the scale of destruction, tragic loss, and a miraculous escape.
I knew that visiting the scene of the Petrinja earthquake was going to be traumatic, but I am glad that I did. Apart from helping me understand the realities on the ground better, I hope the report has been informative for the many people wanting to help Croatia in this time of national tragedy. You can read Majske Poljane, Glina, Petrinja: A Foreigner View of Croatia's Emergency Response here.
Nowhere was more devastated than the first place we visited, Majske Poljane. Without the resources or connections of the mainstream big Croatian media, it was always going to be hard for me to get the full story. Reading through the various accounts and watching videos from my Croatian colleagues has recorded events and human stories in a way that I could not. Here are a selection of Majske Poljane videos from the aftermath, with their YouTube commentary translated below. The most shocking realisation from watching these videos is finding that the first house we visited - with the ten shell-shocked horses - was the house where four people were tragically killed.
It is cold in Majske Poljane. Clouds hovered over the village, which no longer exists. No one reacts to constant tremors anymore. Silently, with dark circles under their eyes, calm men clean the remnants of their former lives. Five locals were killed. Dario Tomić, the son of the deceased Franjo and the brother of the deceased Marija, raises a photograph of his family from the ruins. The whole house fell on them, there was no salvation for them. Dario folds the photo, the only one left for him after this horror. He has no tears, he is strong, he sticks to the rest of the family, to the mother who survived.
Majske Poljane - The village in the Glina area that suffered the most in the earthquake. Borislav Meandđija came out a second before the earthquake to go to the city to get a credit card. That second was enough to save his life, as the house behind him collapsed to its foundations.
The village of Majske Poljana near Glina that suffered the most in the earthquake. A strong earthquake hit Croatia yesterday, the epicenter of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake was 3 kilometers from Petrinja. The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and search dogs on the ruins of the house where father and son Tomić were killed yesterday
HINA also recorded its observations.
The nearby town of Petrinja from the air.
Find out how you can donate here.
To follow the latest TCN coverage of the earthquake and its aftermath, follow our dedicated section.
VIDEO: First 20 Mobile Homes Arrived in Glina Thursday Morning
December 31, 2020 - So far, more than 80 mobile homes have been secured for families affected by the earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, and the first 20 mobile homes arrived in Glina early Thursday morning.
Index.hr reports that the coordinated action of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Croatian Tourism Association, and the Croatian Camping Association has so far provided more than 80 mobile homes for families affected by the earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported yesterday.
Mobile homes consist of two rooms (for four people), and have equipped kitchens with tables and toilets, and showers.
U Glinu stižu prve kućice koje šalje Ministarstvo turizma. pic.twitter.com/ik6tvW4inY
— TV N1 Zagreb (@N1infoZG) December 31, 2020
Many companies donated the mobile homes
The following companies donated mobile homes: Plava Laguna from Umag, Jadranka camps Lošinj, Arena Hospitality Group from Pula, Maistra from Rovinj, Valamar, Camp Monperin from Bale, Turisthotel from Zadar, Adria from Slovenia, Laguna Novigrad, Karisma Hotels Adriatic, hotels Živogošće, the company Crippa from Višnjan, the company CR Abitare from Labin, Nord mobil from Samobor and the company Solaris from Šibenik.
Many private renters and hoteliers from all over Croatia have offered help in accommodating earthquake victims in Petrinja, Sisak, Glina, and the surrounding area, Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjaca said on Wednesday after the 33rd session of the Croatian government, adding that she talked to hoteliers about donating mobile homes and how they are in constant contact with all relevant services, headquarters and others in the Ministry.
"Already yesterday in Zagreb, we organized accommodation for the neediest, many hotels got involved, and we are in cooperation with the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT). We are aware that there are people in the affected area who have livestock and cannot leave their homes, and that is why we have organized that today 12 mobile homes have left Istria for Sisak-Moslavina County. About 24 more and maybe more of them will go from our camps there," Minister Brnjac emphasized after the Government session.
She added that the Croatian Army helps organize the transport, and the goal is to get to the destination as soon as possible, where it is most needed.
Follow our live updates on the situation in the earthquake-hit areas of Croatia here; find out how you can donate here.
Several Earthquakes in Petrinja Overnight, Strongest Magnitude 3.8
December 31, 2020 - Not even last night could pass peacefully in the wider Petrinja area. From 1 am, at least four earthquakes in Petrinja were recorded.
Index.hr reports that the strongest was at 4:36 am with a magnitude 3.8 on the Richter scale, then at 5:30, 3.1 on the Richter scale, and 6.25 also 3.1 on the Richter scale. These figures have yet to be validated by the Croatian Seismological Service.
Unlike Wednesday morning, these are slightly weaker earthquakes. Recall that on Wednesday morning, Croatia was shaken by an earthquake of 4.8 on the Richter scale.
A similar situation is expected in the coming days, and even weeks, seismologists warn.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that 66 earthquakes were felt in central Croatia in the last 58 hours.
Part of the residents in the earthquake-stricken area also spent their second night outside.
"Occasionally we start the cars up, my son and grandson and a neighbor who is alone are with me. We stayed and waited for the containers. The house was demolished. We hope for the help of good people.
One took off his own fur coat and gave it to my grandson, the man was from Samobor, everyone jumped in told help," one woman told HRT this morning almost in tears.
Croatia was rocked by a strong earthquake on Tuesday afternoon. At 12.19 pm, seismologists recorded a devastating earthquake with an epicenter five kilometers southwest of Petrinja at a depth of 11.5 kilometers. The Richter magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2.
Many weaker earthquakes followed, and all earthquakes had an epicenter near Petrinja and its surroundings.
From 12.23 to 12.58 on Tuesday, the largest number of subsequent earthquakes occurred, as many as 10 - with Richter magnitudes greater than 3.
At least seven people were killed. That is a number that has been confirmed, and it is not excluded that more victims will be discovered later.
Among the dead are a 12-year-old girl in Petrinja, a 20-year-old boy from one house, a grandfather from another, and a father and son from the same house in Majske Poljane near Glina, Glina Deputy Mayor Branka Bakšić Mitić confirmed. It was later confirmed that another male had died in Majske Poljane.
After a seven-hour search, the body of a man killed under the ruins of a church in Žažina was found.
At least six people were seriously injured, and 20 were slightly injured, the Ministry of the Interior announced.
You can read our live updates on the Petrinja earthquake from Tuesday, December 30, 2020, HERE.
PHOTOS: Majske Poljane, Glina and Petrinja One Day After The Earthquake
December 31, 2020 – Total Croatia News visited Majske Poljane, Glina and Petrinja one day after the earthquake. It is difficult to find words to describe the devastation we saw. Perhaps pictures tell the story better
Majske Poljane
Majske Poljane is a rural community. Such was the devastation here, it was difficult to tell which of the destroyed buildings had yesterday been used for agriculture or if they'd been homes
TCN's Paul Bradbury talks to Majske Poljane resident Vladimir who confirmed that, yes, the building across the lane had been a home, his neighbours had lived there just 24 hours earlier
Doors of houses left ajar, windows collapsed, smashed and broken. Inside, you can see everyday lives, stopped suddenly, frozen in time
Croatian soldiers quickly constructing emergency shelters in the freezing fog of early morning. They came from all over Croatia. Unsure if their damaged houses were structurally safe, parents and children of Glina, surrounding villages and Petrinja stood in gardens and fields, keeping warm around fires. With no electricity, they cooked on barbecues.
Majske Poljane seemed like the most silent place on earth. No single sound, not even bird song.
Even the three village dogs left behind padded around the wet road in silence
Glina
Croatian firefighters walk heavily through the mist-filled streets of Glina
The entire upper floor of this house had collapsed, crushing completely the floor underneath
Volunteers at work on the roofs of two neighbouring houses, between Glina and Petrinja one day after the earthquake. The volunteers had come from all over Croatia
Petrinja one day after the earthquake
Even in the miserably wet winter weather, the greeting sign to Petrinja one day after the earthquake might still have looked cheery, if you couldn't see all the emergency vehicles in the background. 
If you didn't know any better, these might look like damaged derelict buildings. But, 24 hours earlier, these had been a row of thriving storefronts, right in the centre of Petrinja one day after the earthquake
Sisak
Damage to the train station in Sisak. A considerably larger city than Petrinja one day after the earthquake, not one business we passed was working - no supermarkets, no fast-food restaurants. Nothing. Groups of teenagers roamed the streets with nothing to do and nowhere to go
Zazina
The Parish church of St. Nikola and Vida, Žažina near Petrinja one day after the earthquake
This is how the church had looked just one day earlier. A couple of metres from the church, remnants of the fire that parishioners had gathered around on Badnjak (Christmas Eve). We later learned that the church organist had been cleaning the organ when the earthquake struck, and tragically he was killed. 
Photo of the Parish church of St. Nikola and Vida, Žažina courtesy of the church, all other photos © Marc Rowlands
Education Minister: Some Schools Affected by Earthquake Have to Be Rebuilt
December 31, 2020 – After visiting schools in Sisak-Moslavina County on Wednesday, Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs estimated that some schools would have to be rebuilt.
Besides, as Hina reports, minister Fuchs said that some schools would be able to be restored.
"The situation in schools is bad. In Petrinja, some schools will have to be completely demolished, and some will be rebuilt. I don't know how fast schools will be rebuilt. A good part will have to be built anew," said the Minister.
More schools require complete construction
In the Sisak-Moslavina County, there are 53 schools (37 primary, 13 secondary, and three music) attended by a total of 14,705 students, and 21 kindergartens attended by 3,489 children. Due to the earthquake, five schools required complete construction, nine were significantly damaged, and 13 schools could be used with repairs.
The earthquake damaged the First Primary School in Petrinja and the High School located next to it. There have been significant collapses there, and they will, therefore, need to be rebuilt.
Although it was first assumed that five schools in the Sisak-Moslavina County would need to be rebuilt, the number is slightly higher. Namely, in addition to the two mentioned Petrinja schools, more schools also require complete construction: the Fran Lhotka Music School Sisak, the Sisak Vocational School, the Farkašić and Letovanić Regional Schools of the Mladost Primary School from Lekenik, the Ivan Goran Kovačić Primary School from Gora, and the Nebojan Regional School.
Students in Sisak won't be able to attend college
The Minister also visited the Glina High School, where the energy renovation has started from the outside, which will most likely be renovated.
In addition to that school, the schools that have significant damage are: the Sisak Gymnasium, Katarina Zrinska Mečenčani Primary School, both Viktorovac Primary and High School, Ivan Kukuljević Primary School, Sisak School of Economics, Budaševo-Topolovac-Gušće Primary School (Topolovac), Dragutin Tadijanović Primary School (Mošćenica Regional School), and Mate Lovrak Primary School in Petrinja.
Many other schools are damaged but have mostly cracked glass, smaller cracks, and broken furniture.
At the Faculty of Metallurgy in Sisak, the University of Zagreb, which is attended by 141 students, the estimated damage is eight million kunas. The estimated damage at the Faculty of Teacher Education, the University of Zagreb, which is attended by 600 students, is 1.5 million kunas. Teaching at both faculties will not be possible until the end of the summer semester.
Fuchs said funds for school reconstruction would be withdrawn from the European Solidarity Fund.
"Preparations need to start immediately so that the reconstruction can begin as soon as the funds are approved," he stressed.
'Luckily there were no children in schools'
When it comes to involving students in teaching, the Minister points out that all options will be examined.
"We will try to see all the options that are most acceptable and best, primarily for students. We will know that when everything is consolidated in a few days," the Minister said, adding that now, it must be identified where the students are.
"Luckily, in the accident, there were no children in the school. Now we will see where they will be accommodated," the Minister said.
Minister Fuchs visited the earthquake-stricken Petrinja, Sisak, and Glina with the County Head of Education Darian Vlahov, Petrinja High School Principal Milan Orlić, Dragutun Tadijanović Primary School Principal Davor Miholjević, Faculty of Teacher Education Dean Siniša Opić, the Vice-Dean Marko Badrić, and Glina High School Principal Marija Novosel.
Follow our live updates on the situation in Croatia's earthquake-hit areas here; find out how you can donate here.
