ZAGREB, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Croatia declared on Monday a state of disaster for counties that suffered most following a devastating 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Dec. 29.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic explained that the government decided to declare a state of disaster after it had received information from the demolished area in the past few days.

"The earthquake caused enormous damage. The ground is still shaking. A large number of aftershocks have been recorded. This does not mean that we should fear, but we must be careful," Plenkovic said at a government session.

The government's decision was made six days after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit about 50 km southeast of the capital Zagreb, killing seven people and injuring dozens. A state of disaster was declared for the Sisak-Moslavina County, which was the epicenter of the quake, and two nearby counties as well.

The prime minister also said that Croatia is in talks with the European Commission, trying to distribute over 100 million euros (122 million U.S. dollars) from the existing multiannual financial framework into reconstruction.

The government has also formed a special headquarters to coordinate reconstruction in the quake-hit area, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Monday that the civil service and the army responded well, but that there is plenty of work ahead.

He noted that the Croatian Red Cross has distributed 120 tons of food and 150,000 liters of water. More than 800 firefighters have been deployed to the area, and 30 people have been rescued from under the rubble. Enditem

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