2 Killed, 50 Injured in Earthquake in Serbia

KRALJEVO, Serbia-- A state of emergency was declared Wednesday in central Serbia after an earthquake rattled the region, killing at least two people and injuring 50 others.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the moderate quake with a 5.3 magnitude struck 75 miles south of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, at 01:56 a.m. Wednesday.

The hardest hit area was around the town of Kraljevo where the trembler destroyed or damaged buildings and left parts of the city without electricity, running water or telephone lines.

Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said a couple, both 68, died in a Kraljevo suburb when the roof and the first floor of their house collapsed, while 50 people were injured elsewhere in and around the town.

Serbia's Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic toured the region, meeting the son and the daughter of the victims, promising financial help.

"As far as I understand, many people in the region don't have a place to sleep and they'll have to be placed in collective centers," Cvetkovic told the Associated Press.

Several mostly older buildings in Kraljevo, the town of some 70,000 people, were damaged, including local hospital and the town hall. Several cars were destroyed from falling concrete from the buildings.

"I had a house with a chimney which is now gone," said Milos Vukomanovic, a resident of the Vitanovac village near Kraljevo which was the epicenter of the quake, as he repaired the roof of the building with cracked walls and shattered windows.

The residents of Kraljevo cleared the rubble and assessed the damage from the quake.
"In shops, cafes and houses everything was on the floor this morning," said Marta Jakic, a shop owner.

Numerous aftershocks were felt Wednesday.

"The most important thing is that people calm down, that there is no panic and that the city authorities function," Dacic said in Kraljevo.

The earthquake -- the strongest in Serbia since 2000 -- was also felt in a wider area of the Balkan state including Belgrade where people were jolted from their beds, some fleeing their homes in panic. The trembler was also felt in neighboring Romania, Croatia and Macedonia.

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5 killed, 4 injured in crash in southeast Michigan

GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. –  Five people were killed and four others seriously injured Sunday when a car crossed the median of a busy southeastern Michigan expressway and struck an SUV, authorities say.

The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. on U.S. 23 in Livingston County's Green Oak Township, just south of Brighton and about 30 miles northwest of Detroit. Authorities closed the highway for about four hours.

Three people were dead at the scene and two others died at a hospital, the township police department said in a news release.

Police said the accident happened when a northbound Toyota Prius with four teenagers in it crossed the median and hit a southbound Chevrolet Blazer carrying five people.

Police said those killed were the driver of the Prius; a 19-year-old Okemos woman and an 18-year-old Williamston woman who were passengers in that car; a 62-year-old Fremont, Ohio, woman who was driving the Blazer; and a 56-year-old man who was a passenger in the SUV.

Three children in the sport utility vehicle — ages 10, 5 and 3 — were among those seriously injured, police said. An 18-year-old Okemos man who was in the Prius also was seriously injured, police said.

Police did not release the names of those involved in the accident. They also did not say if the occupants of the SUV were related.

Deputy fire Chief Kevin Gentry told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus that heavy equipment had to be used to remove six of the people. Police said a portable fire extinguisher was used to put out a small fire in the SUV, which was smoking when authorities arrived.

The crash happened near several homes.

"I heard brakes squealing and I knew something was going to happen because it was so loud, and then 'Bang!'" neighbor Betty Max told WDIV-TV. "And then you saw the car just rolling through the air. It was just awful."

State police said the expressway reopened about 7:30 p.m.

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2 Students Injured in Shooting at California School

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- A gunman opened fire on a crowded school playground Friday, striking two children before construction workers tackled him, authorities said.

The suspect parked his car around noon, jumped a fence and opened fire as he walked across campus in the north San Diego suburb, said Carlsbad police Lt. Kelly Cain. The students, ages 6 and 7, were both shot in their right arms. Police initially believed the children were grazed by bullets, but later determined the bullets passed through their arms. The injuries are not life-threatening and the children are expected to make a full recovery, Cain said.

The suspect, Brendan L. O'Rourke, 41, was arrested on suspicion of six counts of attempted murder and numerous weapons violations, Cain said. He is believed to have acted alone.

"He is possibly a transient who lives in the area," Cain said. "He is not cooperating with the investigation. He probably has some mental health issues."

Scott Chandler was repairing a Jet Ski in his driveway when he heard two loud bangs and saw children running and screaming. He ran downhill in his flip-flops and saw several men struggling on the side of the road.

As he approached the crowd, he saw bullets fall out of the suspect's pocket.

"I just started yelling him, 'Why are you shooting kids?"' Chandler said. "His face was in the dirt, his teeth were in the dirt, and he just grunted."

Construction worker Carlos Partida told KGTV-TV that he ran to his truck after he saw the suspect leave the playground.

"I hit him with my truck," he said.

Terry Lynn told KNSD-TV he looked out his window to see a man park his vehicle, jump a fence and fire a .357 Magnum revolver toward a crowd of children.

Lynn said he screamed, "No! No!" and rushed to the scene. By the time he arrived, construction workers had tackled the suspect. He helped restrain the man until police arrived.

"It was very chaotic," he told the television station.

Witnesses said the man appeared to be firing randomly and was holding something that looked like a gas tank. Cain said a propane tank was found near his car.

"I heard a gunshot and I ran to Room 23," said Kenny Speck, 6, who heard classmates crying. "Some kids went over the fence."

Speck's parents said it could have been so much worse.

"Who knows what could have happened?" said Tamera Wleklinski, his mother. "I am so grateful to the construction workers. They deserve lunch and free donuts for the rest of the year."

Norma Cevallas, who picked up her kindergarten son an hour earlier, was at home when she heard four shots.

"We ran into a room and stayed there," she said. "We didn't want to come out."

The school was placed on lockdown while parents waited for their children in a nearby park.

"It was total panic not knowing what was going on and if our children were OK," Robert Speck, 43, said after reuniting with his son.

Click here for more on this story from Fox 5 in San Diego.

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