For days there have been tremors in south-east Europe – and bring back bad memories in the population.
BELGRADE – The warehouses of aid organizations in the Balkans are overflowing with donated supplies and clothing for victims following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Whether in Sofia in Bulgaria, in Skopje in Macedonia or in Sarajevo in Bosnia – the number of volunteers who want to help is large. And also the sympathy: Not only Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also Kosovo and North Macedonia commemorated the earthquake victims with a one-day national mourning.
For days, rescue teams and convoys with relief supplies from all countries in south-eastern Europe have been on the road in Turkey, but also in Syria. Just as great as the willingness to help, however, is the concern for one’s own uneasy reason: the earthquakes on the Balkan Peninsula, which have increased in the past few days, are bringing back unpleasant memories of earlier earthquakes in the Balkans across borders.
Fear of the earthquake is growing: Panic scenes on the streets in the Balkans
An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale near Targa Jiu in southwestern Romania shook the walls of Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, 218 kilometers away. The Serbian media reported panicky scenes and people rushing into the streets, especially in the regions close to the border.
Weaker tremors were also registered in the risk areas of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria and Croatia. “The fear of the earthquake is growing!” was the excited headline in the Belgrade tabloid “Blic” on Wednesday.
Earthquakes keep shaking the Balkans, like in 2020 in Croatia
Not only the major earthquake disasters in Bucharest, Romania, in 1977, which claimed more than 1,500 lives, and in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1963, with more than a thousand deaths, are unforgettable in the Balkans. Also because of the recent earthquakes in Croatian Zagreb and Petrinje (2020) and in Albanian Durres (2019), people in the region are anxiously following every movement in the ground.
Seismologist Slavica Radovanovic explained that the latest series of earthquakes in Romania is an indication “of increased seismological activity in the entire eastern Mediterranean region” that might last for several years. However, similarly strong earthquakes as in Turkey can be ruled out, in Serbia earthquakes with a maximum magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale can occur. However, Radovanovic expects a “strong” earthquake in Bulgaria in the next few years. (Thomas Roser)
