An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale struck north of Zagreb on Sunday, sending people scurrying into open spaces for safety.

The tremors, the most powerful to hit the Croatian capital in nearly 140 years according to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, shook the city at around 6:00 CET.

The quake dislodged large chunks of concrete from buildings, started fires and buried cars under rubble.

The GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, which downgraded the magnitude to 5.3 from an initial reading of 6, said that jolts were felt across the whole of Western Balkans.

Among the landmarks damaged was Zagreb's iconic cathedral. The top of one of its two spires collapsed. The cathedral was rebuilt after it came crashing down in an earthquake in 1880.

A 15-year-old boy was initially reported dead but Zagreb's hospital director later clarified, saying the victim was a girl who remains in critical condition, the state-run HINA agency reported.

Croatia, currently in the grip of a COVID-19 outbreak, now faces the dual challenge of dealing with the after-effects of the quake and a pandemic as authorities urged people to observe social distancing rules.

Interior minister Davor Bozinovic issued a similar appeal on Twitter. "Keep your distance. Don't gather together. We are facing two serious crises, the earthquake and the epidemic," he said.

The country has recorded more than 200 cases so far.

The earthquake was also felt in Slovenia and southern Austria. The Balkan region sits on major fault lines and witnesses frequent quakes.

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