(Sarajevo) A strong earthquake measuring 5.7, according to the United States Seismological Service (USGS), shook southern Bosnia on Friday evening, causing one death, several injuries and property damage, local media reported.
Posted at 7:56 p.m.
A 28-year-old woman, injured in Stolac when a rock fell on her house, died in a hospital in the town near Mostar, said a hospital source, quoted by several media.
Several other people were lightly injured, including members of the victim’s family.
Material damage, in particular cracks and collapses of walls, was reported by the authorities and the civil protection of Stolac, but also of Ljubinje and Mostar.
The quake was felt across the Balkans, an area of high seismic activity. Its epicenter was located 14 km northeast of Ljubinje (4,000 inhabitants), according to the USGS.
It was also 16 km east of the town of Stolac (14,000 inhabitants) and 42 km southeast of Mostar (105,000 inhabitants), according to the Center for Euro-Mediterranean Seismology (EMSC).
The tremor, which lasted a good twenty seconds, was felt as far as Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje, more than 400 km from the epicenter, according to AFP correspondents. It was followed by several others, less strong.
The previous major earthquake in the Balkans, of magnitude 6.4, occurred on December 29, 2020 in Croatia, in the Petrinja region (center), killing seven people and destroying hundreds of buildings and houses. In March 2020, the Croatian capital was hit by a magnitude 5.3 earthquake which caused extensive damage.
In November 2019, more than 50 people were killed in Albania in a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that also left thousands homeless.