December 29, 2020, with less than 72 hours before the new year, Croatia was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. Now, almost two weeks after the devastating shake, Croatia is still struggling to get back on its toes.

To put things into perspective on how strong the massive land rumbling really was, reddit user u/Blackbird1173 posted a video on the subreddit r/ThatsInsane.

6,4 Earthquake in Croatia captured by a fisherman on a lake from r/ThatsInsane

In the video, the person carrying the camera was peacefully enjoying some quite alone time while fishing in a nearby lake. He was minding his business on his boat when suddenly, the world around him starting shaking viciously. Such situation would frighten even the bravest person around.

In the thread, other reddit users quickly pointed out how terrible it would be to experience such situation, especially when you are alone in the middle of the lake. One user even commented that he would have legitimately thought that the world as we know it was ending if he was alone in that lake when it happened. Others even added that the bubbles that surfaced from the bottom of the water added a creepy ambiance to an already terrifying scenario. "It felt like something is about to breach the surface," they added.

If that strong rumbling was felt miles away from the epicenter, imagine what could have happened on the places that took a stronger direct hit.

Devastating aftermath

IFRC Workers Responding to the Earthquake
Photo from IFRC Europe

According to sources, at least seven people lost their life while no less than 20 were injured as the result of the strong earthquake. On the initial report, the death of a 12-year-old girl was declared immediately after the rumblings have stopped while the rest was discovered covered in rubbles and ruins during the rescue and clearing operations.

In a related news, Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Shakes Croatia

"We are pulling people from the cars, we don't know if we have dead or injured," Darinko Dumbovic, the mayor of Petrinja, told regional broadcaster N1 on Tuesday. "There is general panic, people are looking for their loved ones."

He was also quoted saying that his city was left in ruins like Hiroshima was after the atomic bombing of the second world war.

The city that was home to around 20,000 people is now currently uninhabited because of the harmful ruins and destructions that might injure or kill more people. This left a huge chunk of the population displaced with nowhere, aside from the evacuation center, to go to.

It was seen as a bitter blow to Croatia as the country is still slowly recovering and rebuilding since the war for independence in the 1990s. The town itself is also greatly crippled because aside from the physical destruction, it has recently faced an economic hit as the traditional industries were declining - an economic blow resulted by the combination of local industries closing due to the lockdown and previous problems prior to the pandemic.

Despite the harsh situation of the country's economy, the leaders of Croatia promised funds for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damaged areas. They also aim to provide support to the hundreds, if not thousands, of families that are currently struggling.

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