President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic walk past damaged buildings in Petrinja (AP)
He said the army has 500 places ready in barracks to house people, while others will be accommodated in nearby hotels and other available places.
“No-one must stay out in the cold tonight,” the prime minister said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter that she had spoken to Mr Plenkovic and instructed an envoy to travel to Croatia as soon as possible.
As a Mediterranean country, Croatia is prone to earthquakes, but not big ones.
The last strong quake struck in the 1990s when the picturesque Adriatic coast village of Ston was destroyed.
Magnitude 6 3 earthquake strikes Croatia; 6 deaths reported
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Croatia 6 2 magnitude quake: Petrinja town completely destroyed , Slovenia shuts down Krsko nuclear power plant
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