A destroyed car is seen following an earthquake, in Zagreb, Croatia March 22, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)

A large earthquake has struck north of the Croatian capital Zagreb, killing a 15-year-old child, health officials have said.

An ambulance team took to the field and found under a collapsed building a child who no longer showed signs of life, said Zarko Rasic, the head of the Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute.

The quake struck north of Zagreb on Sunday, GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said, damaging buildings, sending many people into the streets, burying vehicles in rubble and causing several fires.

GFZ said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers and it downgraded the magnitude of the quake from an initial reading of 6.0.

It lasted over 10 seconds. By far the strongest I have ever felt, one witness said, adding that it was followed by several aftershocks.

Croatia�s seismologist Ines Ivancic said the tremor was strong but the immediate damage could not be assessed. She added that the internet was down in some areas.

A Reuters reporter on the scene saw a church bell tower damaged and people taking to the streets.

Croatia�s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic appealed via his Twitter account to people in the streets to keep social distance among themselves as the country struggles to the contain coronavirus spread. So far, the country has reported 206 cases of coronavirus and one death.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 5.4, while European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) also reported 5.3 magnitude, followed by another 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

(Source: Reuters)