1 in 8 buildings examined by structural engineers in Zagreb not fit to live in

by croatiaweek
March 26, 2020
in News

(Photo: HINA/Damir SENČAR)

ZAGREB, March 26 (Hina) – Every eighth building examined by structural engineers in the aftermath of Sunday’s strong quakes in Zagreb has been declared not fit to live in, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Thursday.

To date, structural engineers have examined about 2,000 buildings and made assessments for 1,001.

The daily says that 12% of the examined buildings have been labelled with a red warning, meaning that they are no longer safe to live in.

Aftershocks continue to be registered in the Croatian capital after three strong quakes rocked the area on Sunday morning, claiming one life and causing extensive damage to buildings.

According to seismological data published on Thursday morning, in the last 24 hours, nine tremors were recorded.

Construction and Zoning Minister Predrag Stromar said on Thursday that so far there had been 21,000 applications submitted for the assessment of the safety of buildings.

“To date, about 2,500 cases have been dealt with,” the minister said, praising the teams on the ground for intensive work.

Stromar said that a new law was being prepared to enable a faster, simpler and more efficient solution for the residents of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje County whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the disaster.

Asked about the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic for the construction sector, Stromar said that most construction sites were still open as construction material could still be obtained.

It is now up to investors to decide on their own on the volume of business activities while respecting epidemiologists’ recommendations, the minister said.

There have been over 100 tremors since Sunday’s earthquake. Below is a graph produced by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and published by the Seismological Service on Twitter showing the earthquake and aftershocks and their magnitudes up until Tuesday night.