Spain: Earthquake rocks Lorca, Murcia, killing 10
MADRID. May 12. KAZINFORM At least 10 people were killed after a magnitude-5.2 earthquake toppled several buildings in southern Spain near the town of Lorca, officials say; Kazinform refers to BBC News.
The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), some 120km south-west of Alicante, at 1847 (1647 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.
Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
The quake followed a 4.4-magnitude tremor about two hours earlier.
It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens
Spanish TV captured dramatic images of a church bell tower crashing to the ground, landing just metres from a cameraman.
Shocked residents and workers rushed out of buildings and gathered in squares, parks and open spaces. Old buildings were badly damaged.
As night fell many people were still too afraid to return to their homes.
"The whole of the centre of Lorca has been seriously damaged," a delegate from the regional government of Murcia told national radio.
"There are thousands of very disorientated people."
A doctor told the online edition of El Pais that she and her colleagues went into the streets and treated people with serious injuries, many of them "unconscious".
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