Deadly Earthquake Hits Southern Spain

Uri Friedman Uri Friedman – Wed May 11, 2:47 pm ET

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit Spain's southern region of Murcia on Wednesday following a smaller 4.4-magnitude quake about an hour earlier, pummeling several old buildings, according to the BBC. Spain's ABC, which has set up a live blog to cover the quake, is now reporting that at least ten people were killed by the falling debris, including a minor. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has dispatched emergency military units to the scene. The damage is concentrated on the towns of Lorca and Totana but the earthquake could be felt as far as Madrid, AFP reports.

Footage is beginning to surface. This clip from rtvcyl.es captures some of the destruction in Lorca:

In this video, a church clocktower almost falls on a Spanish reporter:

ABC says 10,000 people are expected to sleep outside in Lorca's fairgrounds tonight to keep away from potentially unstable buildings. This news report shows people gathering in a public place and talking on cell phones.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110511/wl_atlantic/deadlyearthquakehitssouthernspain37597_1