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Thousands Sleep Outside After Deadly Earthquakes in Spain

   VOA News  May 12, 2011
   People wait to return to their homes after spending the night in the
   open following a rare earthquake that rocked the town of Lorca in
   southeastern Spain, May 12, 2011

Photo: Reuters

   People wait to return to their homes after spending the night in the
   open following a rare earthquake that rocked the town of Lorca in
   southeastern Spain, May 12, 2011

   Thousands of people spent the night outside in a southern Spanish city,
   fearing aftershocks following a pair of deadly earthquakes on
   Wednesday.
   Officials in the popular tourist region of Murcia said Thursday at
   least eight people were killed in the quakes, which caused houses to
   collapse and damaged historic churches and buildings. The death toll
   was lowered from an earlier report of 10 people killed.
   Aid workers gave blankets, food and water to residents as rubble and
   crushed cars littered the streets of the ancient town of Lorca.
   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.
   Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero ordered the 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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