Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that after last night's magnitude 5.0 aftershock in Petrinja, he talked with Mayor Darinko Dumbovic about the possibility of evacuating the population but the area in question was yet to be established.

“We are talking about temporary accommodation, a few days perhaps, and it has to be precisely established on the ground because we don’t want people staying in houses which can be additionally demolished by some medium earthquake,” he told the press.

Plenkovic said last night’s aftershock was not a small tremor and that it was necessary to make sure that aftershocks did not cause tragedies which could be avoided.

He said that anyone who wanted any kind of temporary accommodation, whether in a hotel, on the coast far from the earthquake area, could apply for it and get it.

“All those who want safe accommodation can get it. But some people don’t want to leave their homes and are still there, and in order to adjust to them we must find alternative accommodation.”

As for an upcoming meeting with container home manufacturers, Plenkovic said attempts were being made to find several types of alternative accommodation for those in quake-hit areas who refused to leave their homes.

According to preliminary estimates, about 1,000 such accommodation units are necessary and we are thinking about procuring container homes, caravans or mobile homes. Some can be procured via manufacturers and some will be donated, he said.