2020 Zagreb earthquake

2020 Zagreb earthquake
UTC time2020-03-22 05:24:03
ISC event617810109
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date22 March 2020 (2020-03-22)
Local time6:24 a.m. CET (UTC+1)
Magnitude5.3 Mw
5.5 ML
Depth10 km (6.2 mi)
Epicenter45°51′N 16°02′E / 45.85°N 16.03°E / 45.85; 16.03
TypeReverse fault
Areas affected
Total damage11.5 billion ($11.7 billion USD)
Max. intensityMSK-64 VIII (Damaging)
Aftershocks145 (by 14 April)
9 with a Mw3.0 or greater
Largest: Mw5.0 at 6:01 UTC, 22 March 2020
Casualties2 fatalities (1 indirect), 26 injuries
Citations

At approximately 6:24 AM CET on the morning of 22 March 2020, an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 Mw, 5.5 ML, hit Zagreb, Croatia, with an epicenter 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city centre. The maximum felt intensity was VII–VIII (Very strong to Damaging) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 5.0. It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since the 1880 earthquake and caused substantial damage in the historical city center. More than 1,900 buildings were reported to have been damaged to the point of becoming uninhabitable. The earthquake was also felt in Slovenia. At least 27 people were injured by the earthquake, including a teenage girl who later died from injuries caused by falling debris on 23 March. Four days later, a construction worker fell to his death after attempting to repair a building damaged by the earthquake.

The earthquake occurred during the coronavirus pandemic and complicated the enforcement of social distancing measures set out by the Government of Croatia. It occurred during the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The direct earthquake damage inflicted on Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje County was estimated at 86 billion Croatian kuna (€11.5 billion).