At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured as an earthquake shook southeastern Spain on Wednesday, toppling historic buildings in the medieval city of Lorca. The magnitude-5.3 earthquake -rare in Spain -was felt across the Murcia region. The epicentre was registered in the Tercia mountain range close to the town of Lorca, where several buildings were destroyed, including a medieval church bell tower.
Authorities confirmed that at least 10 people had died, including a child aged 13. Francisco Jodar, the mayor of Lorca said: "Unfortunately, people have died as a result of cave-ins and falling debris. We're trying to find out if people have been trapped inside the collapsed houses."
"The population is scared and are very afraid to return to their homes. The whole of the centre of Lorca has been seriously damaged," another official told national radio. "There are thousands of very disorientated people."Television images showed streets in the historic quarter of the town strewn with rubble and crushed cars.
Shaken families and children gathered in a square in the town, seeking safety from fallen buildings. There were also reports that sites such as the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Huerta and several local temples had been damaged.
The local hospital was evacuated, prompting concerns about how the injured would be treated, and military units were dispatched to the earthquake zone to help in the rescue. An earlier quake registering magnitude 4.4 occurred at 5: 05 p.m. local time, and the second, larger shock followed at 6: 47 p.m.
Residents in the town, which has a population of about 90,000, described the terrifying tremor.
"There was a tremendous roar and the church was split in half," Catalina Lopez, told Spanish state television. One neighbour said that most people had already left their houses before the second bigger quake struck.
"I felt a movement of such force, and with such noise, that made all the furniture jump about. It was terrifying," said Juani Avellaneda. Lorca dates back to the Bronze Age and probably gained its name from the Romans. The old part of the town is made up of a network of narrow alleyways.
The town is built in the shadow of a fortress and its many architectural features include a Roman military column, the Church of San Francisco and medieval walls and gates of San Antonio. Spain is at moderate risk of earthquakes. On average, an earthquake above magnitude 6 occurs every 200 years.