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Montenegro holds memorial service for 12 victims of mass shooting

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Montenegro holds memorial service for 12 victims of mass shooting

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said that holders of registered guns will undergo new security and psychological checks while ‘draconian’ punishment is planned for those who hold weapons illegally.

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A memorial service has been held in Montenegro for the 12 victims of a mass shooting that happened on New Year’s Day.

The ceremony in the central town of Cetinje was attended by family members of the victims as well as political and church leaders.

“Every word we say today seems weak, powerless to mitigate the suffering of those who lost their loved ones,” Nikola Đurašković, the mayor of Cetinje, said at the commemoration.

“There are no words to explain this senseless tragedy…At this moment, the only thing we can do is to express our deepest condolences to the families of the killed, to extend our hand in support and to convince them that they are not alone in their pain. Because this is not just a loss for the families, this is a loss for all of us.”

There has been shock and dismay across Montenegro since the shooting in Cetinje on Wednesday.

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The victims included seven men, three women and two children, born in 2011 and 2016.

Police said the gunman, identified as Aco Martinović, eventually shot himself in the head and died shortly after.

At least four others were wounded, officials said.

In a separate massacre in the same town in August 2022, an attacker killed 10 people, including two children, before he was shot and killed by a passerby.

A top-level meeting in the capital Podgorica on Friday promised tough measures to curb illegal weapons after the second such tragedy in less than three years in the small Balkan country.

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An emergency session of Montenegro’s National Security Council announced a new, strict gun law and urgent actions to confiscate what are believed to be abundant illegal weapons in possession of Montenegro’s 620,000 citizens.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said that holders of registered guns will undergo new security and psychological checks while “draconian” punishment is planned for those who hold weapons illegally.

Spajić specified that authorities would give people a period of two months to surrender illegal weapons without facing any consequences.

After that, he said, “the law will be explicit and even minimal sentences handed by judges will be drastic.”

State television broadcaster RTCG reported on Friday that Montenegro is sixth in the world when it comes to the number of illegal weapons per capita.

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Map: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Las Vegas

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Map: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Las Vegas

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Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

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A minor, 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck in Nevada on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake prompted a flurry of chatter online, but no widespread damage was reported.

The temblor happened at 1:47 p.m. Pacific time about 7 miles northwest of Summerlin South, Nev., data from the agency shows.

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On social media, residents across the area described the earthquake jolting their homes and rattling windows and doors. Some said they heard the boom-like sound of an explosion, while others said they didn’t feel anything or described a small disturbance that lacked any significant oomph.

Brian Cohen was at home putting away groceries in Lone Mountain, about a half hour west of the Las Vegas strip, just before 2 p.m. when he felt the entire house rattle intensely for about three seconds.

“The whole house felt like it was lifting up,” said Mr. Cohen, who is in his 60s. He went outside and saw a neighbor, who also reported feeling the jolt.

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Mr. Cohen, who has lived in the Las Vegas area since 1994, said this wasn’t his first earthquake. “This one is the strongest one I felt,” he said, adding there was no damage to his home.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Aftershocks forecast

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While individual earthquakes can’t be predicted, geologists can calculate the chances that more earthquakes will follow an initial quake using statistical models of past events.

For this earthquake, it is unlikely — about a 4 chance — that a larger quake will strike the area in the next day, according to the U.S.G.S. Here is the forecast for aftershocks of other sizes:

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3.0 mag. or stronger

Perhaps

26%

4.0 mag. or stronger

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Unlikely

5%

5.0 mag. or stronger

Unlikely

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Source: United States Geological Survey. Data is as of June 4 at 1:57 p.m. Pacific time.  Chance of aftershocks typically decreases over time. Forecast quake counts are estimates. William B. Davis, Joel Eastwood and John Keefe/The New York Times

The rate of aftershocks typically decreases over time, and forecasts are available for the next week, month and year.

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Aftershocks detected

Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

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Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.

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When quakes and aftershocks occurred

 All times are Pacific time. The New York Times

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Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Thursday, June 4 at 5:25 p.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, June 4 at 8:23 p.m. Eastern.