At least 10 die as earthquakes hit southeast Spain

source: mb.com.ph

MADRID (PNA/Xinhua) -- At least 10 people died in two successive earthquakes in southeast Spain on Wednesday, local officials confirmed.

The first earthquake, measuring 4.4 on the Richter Scale and lasting eight seconds, occurred around 17:03 local time (1503GMT), while a 5.2 magnitude quake happened around one hour and 45 minutes later and lasted for just four seconds.

The epicenter of both quakes are just seven km from the town of Lorca, 55 km from the city of Murcia.

Five were killed when two buildings in the city center collapsed after the second quake. More deaths are possible, said the police.

A spokesman for the Lorca government said that the Town Hall had been evacuated, while the tower of the town's Iglesia de Santiago church had been severely damaged.

Meanwhile, hundreds of buildings suffered structural damage. Falling debris has also caused damage to street facilities as well as parked cars.

Witnesses said that there were scenes of confusion in Lorca with hundreds of people in the streets uncertain whether or not to return to their homes for fear of further shocks.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has ordered the mobilization of the country's Military Emergency Unit (UME) to help with the rescue work, while Spain's Science and Technology Minister, Cristina Garmendia, who was in the nearby town of Yecla when the earthquake happened, has rushed to Lorca to assess the situation.

An earthquake of 2.8 on the Richter scale was registered in Lorca in March this year, while in January 2005, a quake of 4.7 destroyed around 500 homes in the town.

source: mb.com.ph