Two moderate earthquakes rock Spain, at least 8 dead

Two moderate earthquakes rock Spain, at least 8 dead

2011-05-12 05:25:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

MURCIA, SPAIN (BNO NEWS) -- Two moderate earthquakes struck southeastern Spain on early Wednesday evening, seismologists said, killing at least eight people and injured many others.

The 5.2-magnitude earthquake at 6.47 p.m. local time (1647 GMT) was centered about 6 kilometers southwest of Lorca, a small town in the autonomous community of Murcia. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). It was followed by a 4.2-magnitude aftershock.

According to El Pais newspaper, at least eight people died while dozens more were injured. One of the fatal victims was a child and two people are in very serious condition.

Three of the deceased were killed after being struck by falling debris. The earthquakes caused several damages to the buildings and infrastructure in Murcia, mostly in Lorca, Mazarron, Cartagena and Aguilas towns.

Many residents remain in the streets in fear of aftershocks. In Lorca, local authorities have established a temporary shelter for affected families. Many roads in Murcia were closed as well as they sustained cracks and damages.

Authorities estimated that about 10,000 residents had their homes damaged and will have to spend the night in shelters. The local hospital in Lorca was evacuated due to the damages sustained.

The Spanish government has deployed the Emergency Military Unit (Unidad Militar de Emergencias or UME) to assist the relief efforts in the affected region. In addition, all Murcia's emergency agencies were activated.

UME deployed 272 staff members, 190 of them from Valencia, to Lorca in order to help in relief efforts. They will be also in charge of looking for survivors and coordinate operations in the affected communities.

The historic Lorca castle also sustained damage as part of the façade and ceiling fell. In addition, the San Julian Place and the Church of the 'Virgen de las Huertas' were affected by the natural disaster.

Lorca authorities said that this was the most severe earthquake in Spain in the last 30 years. The last took place in 2005 when a moderate 4.6-magnitude earthquake rocked Lorca and Bullas but no deaths were registered, only material damages.

Murcia is located in the Spanish region which registers the most earthquake activity in the Iberian Peninsula. The 5.2-magnitude earthquake was felt in some areas of Madrid and Castilla.

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