A series of serious earthquakes hit the southern Spanish town of Lorca, located in between Murcia and Alicante, on the evening of the 11th May. The first tremor measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit initially and was then followed by a larger, 5.2 magnitude quake. This hit 120km south-west of Alicante and at a depth of just 1km.
The earthquakes have caused severe damage to the town, even resulting in the collapse of the church tower which was caught on video by Spanish news teams. Further destruction is seen in the way of damaged buildings and many wrecked vehicles crushed under tons of rubble.
In the midst of the extensive damage and continuing aftershocks, many spent the night outside rather than returning home in fear of another earthquake hitting.
There have been several confirmed deaths to date and countless injuries amongst residents and numbers are expected to rise. The military has reportedly been deployed to assist in the aftermath of an earthquake which has not been matched in severity in Spain in the past 50 years.
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