Grieving Spain to bury Lorca earthquake victims

Nine people were killed when a magnitude-5.1 quake struck the town, just two hours after one measuring 4.4.

Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia are due to attend the funerals.

Thousands of buildings in the historic town have been damaged or destroyed and many residents have left.

Some have gone to stay with friends and family in other areas because their homes are unsafe or they fear aftershocks.

Troops and emergency workers have put up hundreds of tents for about 3,000 homeless people still in Lorca.

The funeral Mass is not being held in a church as earthquake damage has made them unsafe to enter.

Funerals for other victims are being held elsewhere in Lorca.

Almost every building in the town of about 93,000 residents has been damaged, says our correspondent.

Inspection teams are going house to house assessing the damage before declaring which buildings are safe to return to, BBC News reports.

See www.bbc.co.uk for full version.