Strong quake shakes Croatia, damaging buildings in capital
Zagreb: A strong earthquake shook Croatia and its capital on Sunday, causing panic, the evacuation of hospitals and widespread damage including to the city's iconic cathedral all amid a partial coronavirus lockdown.
A 15-year-old was reported in critical condition and several others were injured, news outlets reported.
The European seismological agency, EMSC, said the earthquake measured 5.3 and struck a wide area north of the capital, Zagreb, at 6:23 a.m. (0523 GMT) Sunday. The epicenter was 7 kilometers (4 miles) north of Zagreb at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said earthquake was the biggest in Zagreb in the last 140 years.
Many buildings in the capital cracked and walls and rooftops were damaged. Downtown streets were littered with debris. Concrete slabs fell on cars and chimneys landed in front of entrances.
Footage from the scene showed mothers dressed in nightgowns hugging their newborn babies in a parking lot as they evacuated a damaged maternity hospital amid freezing temperatures. The women, newborn babies and incubators were being moved to a new location with the help of the army.
Zagreb's iconic cathedral was also damaged, with the top of one of its two spires collapsing. The cathedral was rebuilt after it toppled in the 1880 earthquake.
Power was cut as people ran out of their homes. Several fires were also reported. At least two other tremors were recorded later. Residents shared photos of belongings falling off shelves, broken bottles and glass inside homes.
Officials first said a 15-year-old was killed, but doctors later said that she is in critical condition and that they are fighting for her life. They gave no immediate details on the extent of other injuries.
The earthquake struck amid a partial lockdown of the capital because of the spread of the coronavirus. People were told to avoid public areas, such as parks and public squares, but had little choice as they fled their residences.
Up to five people are allowed to be together while keeping distance.
The prime minister urged the citizens to remain calm and stay outside their homes in the central parts of Zagreb, which sustained the most damage.
We have two parallel crisis that contradict each other, Plenkovic said after an emergency meeting of Croatia's top officials.
Croatia's army and all emergency services will start clearing the streets as soon as possible, while assessment will start of the damage at the same time.
"We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible," he said. Stay outside your homes and keep distance. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the situation was complicated by the restrictive virus-related measures in place.
"There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time when there is a global pandemic, then it's a much more complex situation." Bozinovic told the state HINA news agency.
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14 injured as J-K protests Khamenei's killing; several curbs imposed to maintain order
Srinagar (PTI): At least 14 people, including six security personnel, were injured on the second day of protests that erupted in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli attack, officials said.
Authorities have imposed restrictions to curb people's movement, shut down education institutes and throttled mobile internet speeds in the Union territory as precautionary measures.
Officials said that 75 rallies were held at various places in the Kashmir Valley, while a few demonstrations were held in the Jammu region as well. Security forces had to use mild force to disperse the protesters in some areas.
Protests broke out in Bemina, Gund Hassibhat, Saidakadal, Nigeen, Foreshore Road and Jehangir Chowk areas of Srinagar city, in the Pulwama town of south Kashmir, and Budgam in central Kashmir -- all of which have a large Shia population, as agitators marched through the streets, raising anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.
While most of the protests were by and large peaceful, clashes erupted at a few places, forcing the security forces personnel to use mild force to disperse the protestors, the officials said.
They said 14 persons -- eight protestors and six security forces personnel -- were injured during these clashes in the Kashmir valley.
Severe restrictions had been placed on the movement of people in parts of Kashmir. The curbs were imposed against the backdrop of a call for a one-day strike given by Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
He had urged people to observe the strike "with unity, dignity, and in peace".
The authorities had sealed Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk with barricades erected all around it, while a large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city to prevent gatherings of protestors, officials said.
They added that concertina wires and barricades were placed at important intersections leading into the city while asserting that these were precautionary measures imposed to maintain law and order.
The authorities also closed all educational institutions for two days, as a precautionary measure for the safety of students and to maintain law and order. Similar curbs were imposed in Shia-dominated areas in other districts of the Kashmir valley. Mobile internet speeds were also throttled across Kashmir.
The MMU's strike call was supported by several political parties, including PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.
"Extending our full support and solidarity with the shutdown call of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on the martyrdom of Iran's supreme leader. This is a day of mourning to remind the world that injustice anywhere wounds the entire Muslim Ummah and all who stand for truth," she said.
Police issued an advisory urging all media organisations and news platforms to exercise the highest level of responsibility and professionalism in their reporting.
"Please refrain from publishing unverified information, speculation, or rumours; ensure that all reports are confirmed through credible and authoritative sources before dissemination; and avoid sensational headlines that may create unnecessary panic," the advisory read.
In the Jammu region, a partial strike was observed in Kishtwar and Doda districts of the Chenab valley region, with groups of people holding peaceful protests to condemn the killing of Iran's supreme leader.
The law and order situation across the region remained peaceful by and large, with no untoward incident reported from anywhere, the officials said.
Most of the shops and business establishments remained closed in both Kishtwar and Doda district headquarters and in other major towns in response to separate bandh calls given by religious leaders to protest the alleged aggression of the US and Israel.
The Imam of Jamia Masjid Kishtwar, Moulvi Farooq Ahmad Kachloo, also led a protest rally from the place of worship to the nearby bus stand, the officials said, adding that the protesters chanted slogans against the US and Israel before dispersing peacefully.
Reports of protests were also received from Bounjwa, Drabshall and Chatroo in Kishtwar, Gandoh and Bhaderwah in Doda, they said.
In Ramban district, which also falls in the Chenab Valley region, Shia mourners organised special prayers at Chanderkote for the second day to pay homage to Khamenei and others who lost their lives in the US-Israel attacks.
The Muslim community also held protests at different places in the Rajouri and Poonch districts. Several Muslim organisations have called for a Rajouri bandh on Tuesday after a joint meeting at the local Jamia masjid.
The president of the Islamic Welfare Organisation, Rajouri, Shafqat Mir, said the present situation is quite worrisome and the US, as well as Israel, have crossed all limits of humanity by directly targeting Iran and killing the supreme leader.
Protests and mourning assemblies for Khamenei were also held in the Kargil district of the Union Territory of Ladakh. A large number of Shia mourners assembled at the Hussaini Park in Kargil to take part in the protest.
