News / Europe

Thousands Homeless After Deadly Earthquakes in Spain

A police officer looks at the damage in Lorca, Spain a  day after an earthquake hit the region, May 12, 2011.
A police officer looks at the damage in Lorca, Spain a day after an earthquake hit the region, May 12, 2011.
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Thousands of people spent the night outside or fled the southern Spanish city of Lorca, fearing aftershocks following a pair of deadly earthquakes on Wednesday.

Officials in the popular tourist region of Murcia said Thursday at least 10 people, including a child, were killed in the quakes, which caused houses to collapse and damaged historic churches and buildings.  

Aid workers gave blankets, food and water to residents as rubble and crushed cars littered the streets of the ancient town.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the stronger 5.1-magnitude quake was one kilometer below the ground.  A milder quake of 4.4 magnitude had hit the area shortly before.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero ordered emergency military units to the region to help with rescue efforts.

Lorca, a town of about 90,000 people, dates back thousands of years and has an old town center with narrow streets.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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