Spain: earthquake. Miles de vecinos de Lorca pasan la noche al raso tras el terremoto
Al menos ocho muertos y tres heridos muy graves. - Los lorquinos duermen en la calle fearing further aftershocks. - "It was terrible, I was home and everything has started to move"
Kevin, an Ecuadorian who has spent 12 years working in Spain, last night waiting in a queue in which volunteers and emergency service distributed bread, yogurt and water. "I've lost everything," she lamented. After the two earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and 5.1 that hit yesterday and surrounding Lorca (Murcia) came home and found it destroyed. So was spending the night in a car with his family.
Two earthquakes shake Lorca, causing eight deaths
Zapatero and Rajoy agreed to suspend his campaign Thursday
parties Children saved from rubble
Thousands of people have slept this night in the open in Lorca after the earthquake that left eight victims, including a child-, three very serious injuries, 45 serious and more than a hundred minor as a result of landslides of debris that surprised them they walked down the street. Around five p.m. many of the inhabitants of the city (92 thousand) took to the streets in panic and did not return home. To this is added that 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The neighbors come and go in search of open fields to the possibility of further aftershocks was constant. And they were not misled, because the ground trembled again last night over 30 times.
the fairgrounds in the city, the Huerta de la Rueda, Lorca have waited thousands of dawn covered with blankets. He was one of the 10 points of the city in which citizens gathered unable or unwilling to return home. They settled the bulk of the temporary camps. Tents were erected to accommodate about 10 thousand people. Also in this area was installed the official command to continue the rescue and relief to those affected. These tents were occupied primarily by immigrants (Lorca has a large colony of foreigners, mostly North Africans and South Americans).
These groups were not the choice of lodges or families in neighboring towns, to spend the night as the native population. This was the case of Carmen, an Ecuadorian, 39, who with her four and a baby expected in Europe Avenue wax installation of tents. "We have assembled here the stores so we can spend the night", commented: "It was terrible. I was at home and suddenly everything started to move and crack the walls." Sick
taken to the street next to Carmen
was the young married couple, Juan Antonio and Maria, who along with his five year old daughter and a baby. Waiting for their family to go to spend day to the nearby town of Mula. "We're going to Mula with my mother. We have been told we can not return to the floor and it does not leave us out of the garage," said Juan Antonio. "It was a daunting experience. All of a sudden started moving the furniture and break the walls. A could barely get off the street by the stairway, which also began to crack," added his wife, Mary.
Diego, 33, was surprised by the earthquake while visiting the hospital Virgen del Alcázar to his uncle. "It was dramatic. In a few seconds started falling plaster ceilings of the rooms. We do not think twice and started to take to the streets to more patients serious. I think my uncle has taken him to the hospital in Cartagena, "he said while waiting for a family member to also move to their place of residence in Totana.
A marriage of Venezuelans, and Gloria Almécija Francisco Navarro, sitting in the waiting Huerta Pascual news of his friend. The two were visiting Spain on holiday, first Madrid and then Barcelona and then Lorca, where he would visit Pascual. But the earthquake seized them and they could not meet him. Now looking for news from the queues of people I expected a dinner.
In another city park was the family of Joaquín Román (54 years). "We do not even let out of the garage, nor return to the houses, we are here waiting for someone to tell us where we go, and we also provide a means for moving to my sisters, "he added." It was impressive. I was walking down the Avenida Juan Carlos I, when they started falling rubble of the buildings, and people collapsed or fell to the ground like dolls. "Terror at
replicas
Lorca's neighbors have spent the first hours after the earthquake seized with fear, with new replicas. At every turn people are startled, feeling a slight vibration in the ground, and fled in terror of the built environment to settle in the middle of roads or parking areas. After these split-second of shock, returning to the routine and commented to each other their dramatic experience.
Lodges-Lorca has many districts, no wonder he's one of the largest municipalities in Spain, has been another alternative Lorca's neighbors for the night. "We will take the car and go to the field with a friend," said the young pairing of Richard and Elena. "The earthquake has caught me working at the supermarket. It was very strong. Suddenly all the shelves have collapsed," said Elena.
Another alternative has been spending the night with friends who had not been affected. "I'm going to see a friend, and if I stay home with her, and if not we'll see what we do. We do not say anything nor have we been informed," said a woman walking down the street with her sister.
"We are caring people, and certainly we will move forward. I have seen scenes of nervousness, excitement, but when calm has returned," said Juan Jose Gomáriz, a family practitioner who usually works in a health center population, who ran the earthquake was surprised. "I've thought for a minute. But take my sneakers I've been here [a field hospital of the Red Cross, erected in the expansion of the city]." "I have heard that the Health Center where I work is practically destroyed, but no matter, and we will reinstate it later," he insisted.
Emergency Military Unit (EMU) began patrolling the city at dawn. His spokesman, Major Latorre said that at the moment, the unit responsible for aid work (set up camps, distributing food and blankets ...) and over Thursday will decide whether to participate in the rubble and cleaning. A large solar
Lorca Walk at times it looks like a lot. Each meter must overcome the accumulated debris on the sidewalks. The buildings, especially low, are almost burst. Even very new buildings have considerable damage: collapsed walls, entire floors coming down ... The damage to buildings are more evident in the Las Viñas, southeast of the town, where the earthquake was primed more harshly. Here are some collapsed buildings visible. Also suffered significant damage buildings in the old city. The effects of the earthquake was not spared and the railway station, the facade has been virtually demolished. They have also suffered serious damage to the two city hospitals, public schools, homes and churches. Epicenter
The earthquake's epicenter was located in the Sierra de Tercia, in the municipality of the town of Murcia. The earthquake caused more damage between five and 10 kilometers northeast of the town, near the highway from Murcia, and was felt strongly in several villages in the region, including the capital, Mazarron, Cartagena and Aguilas, and even noted in other provinces such as Almería, Albacete and Madrid.
The Defense Ministry dispatched to the area two brigades of the Military Emergency Unit and the Police Department moved to 183 agents from other cities to work in rescue operations. In the evening, many families loaded their cars belongings to leave the city.
The first earthquake, the less violent, occurred at 17.05 to seven miles of Lorca. The second-one of the strongest in the last 500 years occurred at 18.47, in the city center. Several buildings in the neighborhood of La Viña and street Galicia suffered landslides and debris fell off many other buildings around the municipality. Part of the roof of the church of the Virgen de las Huertas collapsed, the historic castle of Lorca was damaged and fell off ledges of the Palace of San Julian.
Evacuations and road closures
All Rafael Méndez hospital patients were evacuated and taken to hospitals in Murcia, Cartagena and Cieza. They also had to be evicted residents of nursing homes in the city, in the Alameda area, after the collapse of its roof.
also were cut off two of the main roads of the city, the motorway to Almeria, which was not reopened until 23.30, and the suburban line C-2, between Murcia and Eagles, with 73 passengers affected.
The City activated the Emergency Plan and the Municipal Government launched Murcia level 2 of the Emergency Plan to the seismic risk of the Autonomous Community of Murcia (Sismimur). All emergency services were activated. Throughout the afternoon, Murcia Civil Protection recommended "extreme caution to avoid more victims." Red Cross sent 22 ambulances and deployed four hospitals and two centers to assist victims. In addition, he mobilized all its immediate response teams specializing in shelter.
The King and the Prime Minister were informed of what happened while they were meeting in the Zarzuela Palace in his usual weekly release. Zapatero made contact with Vice President Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, the defense minister, Carme Chacón, Minister of Public Works, José Blanco, and the Minister of Industry, Miguel Sebastian to coordinate relief to the area. White stopped his campaign and headed for the ministry to assess the damage.
Minister for Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, was the first member of the Government in coming to the area. Early in the morning they will Rubalcaba y Chacón. Also scheduled to leave today Zapatero and Rajoy Lorca.
Lorca's mayor, Francisco Jodar said: "People do not dare to enter their homes and I can assure you that there is a new movement." Jódar appeared at a news conference with the government delegate in Murcia, Rafael González Tovar, and Minister Garmendia, and made a presentation of the facts, but chose not to make official the number of deaths.
explained that after the two earthquakes were immediately launched all the alerts, "the 061, the Red Cross, firefighters, police ...", and announced that a contingent of the Military Emergency Unit was on its way. Jódar appreciated the help arrived in the city not only from the region of Murcia, but from other nearby communities, and noted that in the next few hours could be aftershocks, "although", he added, "it is normal to be diminishing intensity." The mayor said the problems were mobile in the city and appealed to people nearby to help. "We have called shopping centers here and abroad to supply us with water, food, blankets, and we enabled an emergency number."
The director of the national seismic network of National Geographic Institute, Emilio Carrillo, said that in the Lorca area are "failures short east-west and northeast-southwest." Carreño explained that the damage had been very strong because the quake was "very superficial", but in that area the potential is there an earthquake of 6.5.
In 2005 there was another quake, measuring 4.6 and centered in the upper districts of Lorca and the town of Bullas, no reported injury, although damage was caused in a number of houses. The previous largest recorded earthquake occurred in Spain in 1969 that left 19 dead in Huelva.
Both the City Council and the Government Office agreed with the heads of the department stores near the water, snacks and all kinds of food to displaced residents. In turn, the authorities authorized a phone number free of charge, 900117816, for those affected by the earthquake. They also agreed to strengthen communication lines directly, since after the quake, most of these were collapsed. The aim was increase coverage and allow communication. Electioneering
suspended
The Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy (PP), agreed yesterday to suspend the election campaign in modern-day mourning for quake victims Lorca. Both Zapatero and Rajoy will travel today to the town of Murcia.
Previously, the PSOE, PP and Izquierda Unida de Murcia had also decided to indefinitely suspend the campaign in the region. The Prime Minister of Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel, advanced his return from Brussels, where he was on official trip, so their presence in Lorca is scheduled for today, as the Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba and Defense Minister, Carme Chacón.
Both the chief executive, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and King Juan Carlos expressed his condolences to Valcárcel, as confirmed by the Minister of the Presidency, Pedro María Reverte. Also, the opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, and more than 2,000 attendees at its meeting in Oviedo, kept up a minute of silence in solidarity with the victims.
At a rally in Langreo (Asturias), the secretary of the PSOE, José Blanco, conveyed his condolences to the Lorca.
Emergency Military Unit (EMU) began patrolling the city at dawn. His spokesman, Major Latorre said that at the moment, the unit responsible for aid work (set up camps, distributing food and blankets ...) and over Thursday will decide whether to participate in the rubble and cleaning. OBSESSION
Ten years 
