Aftershocks rattle Zadar area after Tuesday’s quake

The ground continued to tremble in the wider Zadar region on Wednesday after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook central Dalmatia at around 6:43 PM Tuesday. 

The epicenter of the quake was some 15 kilometers northeast of Starigrad, in Paklenica National Park. No injuries have been reported but there has been some modest damage to structures.

Local residents were unsettled by the experience.

"I was eating dinner. Everything on the table was shaking. My wife ran outside. I was left sitting at the table, dazed. Fear kind of creeps into your bones,” an elderly resident of Starigrad told Croatian Radio.

"There was a low rumbling sound. We knew it was a quake. It stopped and then after a few minutes it started up even stronger. I heard the low rumble and then it hit hard and we fled outside,” the man’s wife said.

The bell tower in the town of Pag sustain some damage and crews were working Wednesday afternoon to dismantle the parts of the tower that may be compromised, local officials said. A church in Seline was also damaged, said the head of Starigrad Municipality, Marić Čavić.

As for Paklenica National Park, there have been no rock slides or damage to the mountain huts or visitors' center, according to park director Natalija Andačić.

Some 20 aftershocks were recorded up until Wednesday morning with the strongest being 2.7 in magnitude. Seismologists say these aftershocks are expected to continue over the next few days or weeks.