ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Wednesday's evening tremor measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale caused additional damage on buildings in Petrinja, and later in the night the police forbid entering the centre of the town.

The spokesman for the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December earthquake, Mladen Pavic, said on Wednesday evening that the quake rubble would soon be removed from a road between Petrinja and Glina to enable the resumption of traffic.

The spokesman said that more information about the extent of the damage would be known on Thursday morning.

There were no reports on casualties.

Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said on Wednesday evening that all activities should be dislocated from the centre of the town and did not rule out the evacuation of that part of Petrinja.

The mayor told the NOVA TV broadcaster that staying in the centre poses a big risk for everybody.

"I am afraid that tremors can make us insane, and all that requires great responsibility for making tough decisions," Dumbovic said in his comment on frequent aftershocks since the 29 December magnitude 6.2 earthquake which took seven lives and caused huge damage in Sisak-Moslavina County.

The spokesman Pavic said that the local population was scared, and after the latest tremor some inhabitants decided to spend night in tents.

He added on late Wednesday night that the situation was slowly calming down.

Croatia's Seismological Survey registered an earthquake at 6.01 p.m. on Wednesday measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Petrinja, 45 km southeast of Zagreb.

The tremor was felt in central Croatia, including in the capital.

ZAGREB, 7 January, 2021 - Wednesday's evening tremor measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale caused additional damage on buildings in Petrinja, and later in the night the police banned people entering the centre of the town.

The spokesman for the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December earthquake, Mladen Pavic, said on Wednesday evening that the quake rubble would soon be removed from a road between Petrinja and Glina to enable the resumption of traffic.

The spokesman said that more information about the extent of the damage would be known on Thursday morning.

There were no reports on casualties.

Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said on Wednesday evening that all activities should be dislocated from the centre of the town and did not rule out the evacuation of that part of Petrinja.

The mayor told the NOVA TV broadcaster that staying in the centre poses a big risk for everybody.

"I am afraid that tremors can make us insane, and all that requires great responsibility for making tough decisions," Dumbovic said in his comment on frequent aftershocks since the 29 December magnitude 6.2 earthquake which took seven lives and caused huge damage in Sisak-Moslavina County.

The spokesman Pavic said that the local population was scared, and after the latest tremor some inhabitants decided to spend night in tents.

He added on late Wednesday night that the situation was slowly calming down.

Croatia's Seismological Survey registered an earthquake at 6.01 p.m. on Wednesday measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Petrinja, 45 km southeast of Zagreb.

The tremor was felt in central Croatia, including in the capital.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January 7, 2021 - Petrinja earthquake victim and Liverpool supporter Bruno Lončarević is in the international spotlight for recovering one special memento from his damaged apartment. A 'This is Anfield' sign.

Index.hr reports that the story of Bruno Lončarević, a radiologist from Petrinja and a faithful Liverpool fan, whose family was left homeless in the earthquake, has spread far beyond Croatian borders.

It was not only broadcast by Liverpool fan media but also by the masses like the Daily Star. Liverpool fans' associations from the Balkans and around the world joined a fundraising campaign - and the news even reached former Liverpool player Dejan Lovren.

Liverpool fans rally round struggling Covid-19 doctor after Croatian earthquake | #LFChttps://t.co/VLONG7gFAB

— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) January 6, 2021

"After the earthquake, all I could think about was how I was going to get into the apartment, take some clothes and this sign that was in a special place in the apartment," Lončarević said for RTL.

Thus, the official association of Croatian Liverpool fans launched a fundraising campaign and opened an account to raise money for Bruno.

"Everything just needs to be resolved from the accounting side," said Antonio Krizmanić from the Official Liverpool Supporters Club Croatia fan association. He and Edin Tanević, another Liverpool fan, are leading the initiative.

"Edin, with the help of Nike Fleiss, legally received a video from RTL, which we subtitled in English, and tomorrow we will send it to e-mails, social networks, and directly to the club. 

We did not want to send it until everything was ready to receive donations from abroad, but two groups from the Balkans, Italy, and Turkey, joined the action. We are in contact with the club via intranet, which connects all fan associations worldwide. We asked them for a signed jersey that we would put up for auction, but they already had a lot of such requests due to the pandemic, so they said they had to consider the request," Krizmanić said.

"His family's house was destroyed by the first earthquake. He was just preparing his Petrinja apartment for renovation, for which he had just taken out a loan, and then it was destroyed by an earthquake the next day. By the end of the week, he and his family were accommodated in an apartment in Zagreb. Still, they had already received a lot of offers for the future and accepted one from their close family friend, so they will live in their apartment in Zagreb for free for the next year," he explained.

The association has already contacted former Croatian Liverpool players Igor Bišćan and Dejan Lovren, who, immediately after the earthquake joined in to help the victims. Lovren even offered his hotel in Novalja to affected families. 

"He reportedly heard the story while serving lunch in Novalja. He knows about Bruno's situation, but he has a lot of calls currently," said Krizmanić, adding that Bruno is shy about the media attention.

"He's a really good guy; I'd say too modest. He didn't want this to go that far, but look, buddy, it's Liverpool."

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - Several buildings have been damaged in the magnitude 5 earthquake that rocked the Petrinja area on Wednesday evening, teams are inspecting the area and there is no information about victims as yet, the earthquake task force spokesman Mladen Pavic said.

Speaking to Hina, he said further damage to buildings damaged in last Tuesday's 6.2 tremor was to be expected given the magnitude and 10-second duration of today's quake.

Medved: Teams are on the ground again

After tonight's tremor, the head of earthquake task force, Tomo Medved, tweeted that all teams were on the ground again "to check if anyone has been injured and what the new damage is. Unfortunately, this also means that structural engineers must again inspect the buildings they have already inspected."

Seismologist Tomislav Fiket told Croatian Television tonight's tremor was one of the aftershocks of the "devastating earthquake of 29 December."

Croatia's Seismological Survey registered an earthquake at 6.01 p.m. today measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Petrinja.

The tremor was felt in central Croatia, including in the capital.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - Damage has been reported to date to more than 22,000 buildings in Sisak-Moslavina County after last week's earthquake and 20% of the 8,743 buildings inspected are completely destroyed, prefect Ivo Zinic said on Wednesday.

Speaking to the press in Sisak, he said 116,000 people were directly affected by the earthquake and 66,000 by the damage.

Of 56 schools inspected, 23 are usable, ten are partly usable, 12 are temporarily unusable, and nine totally unusable. 

Damage has been reported to 3,000 family farms, 750 trades businesses and over 800 firms. The damage to state roads amounts to HRK 55 million and to county roads to HRK 23 million.

Zinic said 4,000 meals were being prepared daily at various locations.

He said the situation was under control but that the initial donations had been almost exhausted, so reserves would have to be restocked. The biggest shortage is for durable food. This situation, he said, is expected to last at least two to three months.

Zinic said 753 persons had been accommodated in sports halls, the local barracks, the Serif company in Glina, and in tents. He said 300 caravans, container and mobile homes had been set up, adding that there were 783 requests for them and that it was assumed over 1,000 would be necessary.

Zinic said five county construction teams, five psychosocial teams and three agricultural teams had visited 350 households and that the intention was for them to visit every household.

Asked about accountability for alleged oversights in the post-war reconstruction of homes, he invited the authorities to investigate and that the possible culprits be held to account.

County police commissioner Luka Pesut said the police had visited all citizens affected by the earthquakes.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

 January 6, 2021 - Another earthquake has struck near Petrinja, this time 5.5, reports EMSC.

 Initial reports suggest that the earthquake struck 45 km south-east of Zagreb, where it was also felt quite strongly. EMSC is reporting initially that the quake had a magnitude of 5.5.

Felt #earthquake (#potres) M5.5 strikes 45 km SE of Zagreb - Centar (#Croatia) 4 min ago. Please report to: https://t.co/iRiGPhu6Bj pic.twitter.com/s8BDzyFSC8

— EMSC (@LastQuake) January 6, 2021

Our thoughts are with local people and the many volunteers working so hard to alleviate the suffering from the December 29 quake. 

For the latest information on the earthquakes, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

18:24 update - the official Croatian seismology service is reporting the magnitude as 5.0.

#potres (#earthquake) 06.01. u 18:01 kod Petrinje, M5.0. Opširnije na https://t.co/3gUWsqxnDt. Ako ste osjetili potres, molimo javite na https://t.co/RJDaIJlwpM

— Seizmološka služba HR (@seizmo_hr) January 6, 2021

Early reports suggest that the quake was longer than the others, around 10 seconds.

EMSC is also now reporting a quake of 5.0, not 5.5.

The epicentre was near the village of Strasnik, 9km south-west of Petrinja.

M5.0 #earthquake (#potres) strikes 49 km SE of Zagreb - Centar (#Croatia) 15 min ago. Updated map of its effects: pic.twitter.com/5dyRICKXhp

— EMSC (@LastQuake) January 6, 2021

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - Homeland Movement president Miroslav Skoro said on Wednesday the system of civil protection and commodity stockpiles had failed in managing the disaster in Sisak-Moslavina County after last week's earthquake because the people in question were not qualified but party members "doing their job badly."

Speaking to the press while touring the opposition party's donation warehouse in Odra Sisacka, the deputy parliament speaker said the state should have replenished the commodity stockpiles because all available containers had been given to healthcare because of the COVID-19 crisis and to accommodate the people of Zagreb after the March earthquake.

Skoro visited the people affected by the tremor in the Banovina region, saying his party had done its utmost to help them.

He said the volunteers and citizens who came to help of their own accord had shown their big heart once again and that they could act faster and better than any institution.

He said it took the government six days to declare a state of disaster, "while football supporters, people of good heart who were here the next morning were, unfortunately, proclaimed as those disrupting some system and being a nuisance."

Skoro went on to say that Stjepo Bartulica would be the Homeland Movement's new whip.

He regretted that Karolina Vidovic Kristo and Milan Vrkljan left the party's parliamentary group, which now has ten deputies. "We have the impression it was all staged but it's their decision and we won't cry after anyone," he said, adding that he was convinced Vidovic Kristo and Vrkljan would trade with their seats.

Asked if they were forced out of the party as they claimed, Skoro said Vrkljan had been highly positioned in the party, its whip and a man he fully trusted. As for Vidovic Kristo, he said she had been an independent in the party's caucus.

He said there was no rift within the Homeland Movement.

The party's organisation secretary Darijo Zepina said the Homeland Movement had collected over 800 tonnes of food and necessities for the quake victims, adding that over 100 of its volunteers were visiting those in need every day and that it expected 30 trucks with relief from Germany from people who, he said, insisted that it be distributed by the Homeland Movement.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January 6, 2021 - Finding a transparent, dynamic and reliable fund for donations after a natural disaster in Croatia is not necessarily that simple. TCN catches up with Glas Poduzetnika's (UGP - Voice of Entrepreneurs) co-founder Drazen Orescanin to find out why UGP started their own appeal, its focus, transparency and plans.  

After working as a humanitarian aid worker for a few years, urgent appeals for donations after natural disasters is something I am quite familiar with.  I have closely followed many such appeals both out in the field in places such as Rwanda and Tajikistan, as well as as a private citizen in both Croatia and the UK.  

Perhaps I am getting older, but it seems to me that there are a couple of differences in the response here in Croatia. The first is that I have never seen a country so strong and united in adversity as Croatia, and the sheer overwhelming desire to help is truly heartwarming. So many selfless acts from ordinary people are a privilege to observe and report on. 

The second thing I have noticed is that, despite that incredible generosity and willingness to give, there is an inherent suspicion of many official appeals and bank accounts for donations, particularly on the part of some of the most generous and big-hearted donors of them all - the Croatian diaspora. 

There is a good reason for this, after many send everything they had to help the Homeland through the war in the 1990s, and to help rebuild a new modern Croatia. I don't think I am divulging any State secrets when I say that not all the money went to its intended targets. 

Trust and transparency are essential when it comes to fundraising. The other issue which caused plenty of controversy during my days in the aid world was the percentage of donations which were given over to 'administration.' 

A lot of people have contacted TCN since the earthquake asking how they can donate. We published a list a few days ago, but I was really happy to see one more fund set up 5 days ago, from Udruga Glas Poduzetnika, or Voice of Entrepreneurs, which is a growing force for reform and change in Croatia. Run by people who want to see an end to corruption and needless red tape, I was sure that their efforts to help their fellow citizens in crisis would be transparent, dynamic, focused and effective, with all money donated going to the people who needed it most. And so it proved, which is why I am now directing anyone looking for a place to donate to UGP, as I explained a couple of days ago.

In order to convey that message of transparency, TCN has decided to follow the UGP efforts, and we plan to report daily on income and activities (as time and TCN resources permit). We begin our journey by talking one of the dynamic faces of UGP, co-founder Drazen Orescanin, who kindly found some time in his busy schedule for this email interview.

1. Natural disasters such as the Petrinja earthquake always bring lots of appeals for donations. Why did UGP decide to set up their own fund when there are official channels and established charities?

Many of our members wanted to make their donations through UGP because they consider us to be a very trustworthy organization. We knew that we can raise a lot of donations and we can distribute containers, equipment and building material very quickly, which is essential in such catastrophic situations. Also, we are doing that 100% transparently. In this way our donors can see people who got their donations, and that is something that can make people feel realy good about what they and we are doing.

2. What guarantees can you give potential donors that their donations will reach the people who most need it?

We have good cooperation with the mayors of Petrinja, Glina and other cities and villages in the region and we also have a strong team of UGP members and volunteers who are validating each recipient of the donation before we make the donation.

3. When I was an aid worker, a sizable percentage was usually allocated for 'administration'. What percentage of each donation makes it to the people who need it with your fund?

Every single kuna and Euro that is donated will be spent on containers, equipment and building material. Our employees who are supporting this charity are paid from the main UGP account and the rest of the team are volunteers.

4. Tell us about your working relationship and coordination with the emergency services and authorities on the ground.

We have very good cooperation with mayors and deputies in many local authorities. We are also in daily contact with several other organizations – restaurants and chefs who are preparing meals, as well as structural engineers who are assesing damage in buildings. We hope that communication with other public services will be easier now that the crisis headquarters with deputy PM Medved is established.

5. What, in your opinion, are the most urgent aid requirements? Is it food, shelter, building materials, for example? What will be your main focus?

The most urgent need now are containers and mobile homes where people who can't leave their homes and have livestock will stay for the next months. There is a need for more than a thousand containers. After that, we will focus on building material, so we can help the rebuilding of houses. Fortunatelly, there are enough clothes, food and blankets now

6. You set up the fund just a few days ago. How much have you raised so far?

We have raised 2,3 million kuna in five days.

7. You have already started to spend those funds to help the needy. Can you give us some more details?

We have ordered already 18 containers and we have spent 770.000 kuna. Out of that 154.000 kuna is VAT that is going straight to the state budget. We have asked the Ministry of Finance to approve a decision that such donations shall be VAT-free. In that case we would be able to bo 4 more containers for the same funds.

8. UGP has become a strong voice for reform and change in Croatia, and you have been very critical at times of the government's handling of both the pandemic and the earthquake response. What are your main grievances regarding the earthquake response?

Croatia does not have defined protocols to handle such situations, and many things in the first week after the earthquake were not coordinated between different public services on the ground. Fortunatelly, many citizens, enterpreneurs and foreign governments have stepped in and sent a lot of help, also provided many public kichens and served hot meals for citizens and volunteers. Also, we are not very happy with the way how the government is communicating to the public about the situation and lack of appreciation for the citizens who helped a lot after the earthquake.

9. And what are the authorities doing well in your opinion?

I hope that now with new HQ all services will be more coordinated, and that they will smoothly take over all the infrastructure and activities done by volunteers.

10. One shocking aspect which has come to light after the earthquake is how many buildings which were built or rebuilt after the Homeland War suffered extensive damage. Can you tell us a bit more about why you think this is?

Croatia is well-known for the corrupt nature of our institutions. One of our former Prime Ministers is in prison with several sentences for corruption, and every few months a few highly positioned politicians are busted for corrupt offenses. The rebuilding of damaged areas after the war was of the biggest affairs where billions of kunas were stolen. The modus operandi was to use the minimum material to rebuild the house and take away everything else, so the houses were built without respecting earthquake safety rules. It is a well-known fact, it was in the media before, but no one has been prosecuted so far. I hope this will be the trigger for a revision of all buildings rebuilt after war.

11. Some people will donate money, others perhaps supplies, or their time and expertise. For those willing to donate materials or their time, what things are most needed, and what is your advice for those who want to volunteer? 

For this first period, we have a good team on the ground. In the following months when we will deliver building materials, people will need craftsmen who will be able to build and repair their houses. We have many members with the necessary skills, but everyone who would like to be involved should join our Facebook group and follow the announcements and offer his or her help when there will be need for their skills.

12. And finally, of course, how can people donate to the UGP fund?

Information in English for donations you can find at our web site, both for donations from Coratia and abroad.

For the latest news from the Petrinja earthquake and aftermath, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - The opposition green-left bloc said on Wednesday it would propose the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into why houses built during post-war reconstruction collapsed or were damaged in last week's earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County.

We Can! MP Tomislav Tomasevic told the press those houses were not built according to regulations. "According to information from the ground, it's not just a few cases but a large number of buildings."

He said "we are talking about systematic crime during post-war reconstruction," recalling that the State Attorney's Office (DORH) recently began inquiries. Given that many legal experts have warned about the expiry of the statute of limitations for criminal accountability, he said DORH's investigation "will be just a smokescreen."

Due to DORH's inquiries, neither the press nor the public can obtain data from the State Office for Reconstruction and Housing, but parliament can probe and establish political responsibility, Tomasevic said, adding that the work of a parliamentary inquiry commission was public and "the public can get all the key data in that way."

He said green-left bloc MPs spent the last week volunteering in quake-hit areas without making political criticisms in public because it was not the time.

Now that the situation on the ground is slowly stabilising, he said, it is time to draw the line and see what the state has and has not done right in responding to this disaster, "because we must learn lessons for the future."

Protocols must be prepared in advance for such situations instead of improvising, he said, adding that he was not talking about the response of society and non-state actors but about civil protection which, he said, should coordinate all other services and non-stake actors on the ground in situations like this.

MP Sandra Bencic said "it's obvious to everyone that institutions are not run adequately" and that the consequences in this case "are the endangered safety and lives of fellow citizens."

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - A religious service marking Christmas according to the Julian calendar was held at Petrinja's cemetery on Wednesday next to a Serbian Orthodox church demolished in last week's 6.2 earthquake.

The service, organised by the Serb National Council (SNV) in cooperation with the Eparchy of Gornji Karlovac, was attended by envoys of the president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker, the leaders of Sisak-Moslavina County and the City of Petrinja, representatives of the Jewish community, many believers and others.

"We gathered here today and not in Zagreb, where we gathered for years, because most of our feelings, expectations and our work has moved to Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Glina, Dvor Kostajnica, Majur, Sunja and Sisak. They are places which have brought all Croatia together, all its citizens, regardless of faith and ethnicity, irrespective of the day and the time they celebrate the birth of Christ," said SNV president Milorad Pupovac.

That is a symbol of hope for all Christians, for those who believe in the messages of the birth of Christ, for all our neighbours, he added.

"What this area has suffered unites in the same feeling of solidarity, care and expectation and hope that life, which has been badly disrupted and in which a considerable number of people have lost their lives, will be reborn, even stronger, more vital than it was in the past 30 years," Pupovac said.

Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milosevic said the Serbian Orthodox parish in Petrinja was badly damaged in the tremor as not one church was left standing but the priest, he added, had stayed with the people. 

"Today, after he lost everything except the clothes on his back, he is unselfishly helping, delivering food, medicines, container homes, filling out forms, advising and doing all the rest," he said.

"We are here to help the people affected because what is good at Christmastime is the spirit of solidarity between people. All have been affected, Serbs and Croats, Roma and others. We are all in this pain together."

"All Croatia is helping, without asking about ethnicity or faith, and I'd like this spirit of unity to continue in the period ahead," Milosevic said.

Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic extended Christmas Eve greetings to Orthodox believers, praising the fact that people were helping each other after the tremor.

In his address, parish priest Sasa Umcevic mentioned those who lost their homes and loved ones in the earthquake. "Hundreds of you are still living under the clear skies, but that's why we are here, to be with your sorrow and pain, to share with you the blessing of Christmas night."

Last Wednesday, the day after the tremor, the SNV started a campaign called "Banija is our house" to help all the villages near Glina, Petrinja, Kostajnica and Dvor, primarily thanks to local SNV members and volunteers.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.