The strongest earthquake to strike Zagreb since 1880, it caused widespread structural damage during the COVID-19 pandemic, complicating emergency response.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- 5.3 Mw / 5.5 ML
- Epicenter distance from center
- 7 km north of Zagreb city centre
- Buildings damaged
- More than 1,900 rendered uninhabitable
- Injuries
- At least 27 people injured
- Deaths
- 2 (1 from debris injuries, 1 construction worker)
- Estimated damage
- 86 billion HRK (€11.5 billion)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Zagreb lies in a seismically active zone; the region had not experienced a major earthquake since the destructive 1880 event. Tectonic stresses beneath the Medvednica mountain range north of the city periodically produce significant seismic activity, making a strong earthquake a persistent geological risk for the Croatian capital.
At approximately 6:24 AM CET on 22 March 2020, a magnitude 5.3 Mw earthquake struck with an epicenter 7 kilometres north of Zagreb's city centre. Maximum felt intensity reached VII–VIII on the MSK scale. The quake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest reaching magnitude 5.0, and was also felt in neighbouring Slovenia.
More than 1,900 buildings were damaged to the point of uninhabitability, with direct losses estimated at €11.5 billion. One teenager died from falling debris and a construction worker later died during repair work. The disaster severely complicated Croatia's COVID-19 social distancing measures and occurred while Croatia held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 2 (earthquake)