murcia
A series of tremors, two more serious than the others, caused buildings to crumble and left thousands unable to go home
14.05.11 - 17:26 -
Zapatero views the damage in Lorca on Friday. Reuters
Two earthquakes that struck Lorca on Wednesday evening have left at least nine dead plus 293 injured, one of them critical. Numerous buildings suffered serious damage, causing scenes of panic among the local people who were forced to spend the night in the open. The fairground has become the improvised home for around 15,000 residents who wait for the experts' verdict on their properties. Architects and engineers have been assessing the damage caused to each building and marking them with a green, yellow or red sticker, according to the degree of safety. It is estimated that ten per cent of the buildings in Lorca will have to be demolished.
According to the National Geographic Institute, 14 tremors were registered between five and eight o’clock although the damage was caused by just two of them that measured 4.4 and 5.2 on the Richter scale.
The first earthquake was felt soon after five o’clock, although with few consequences other than chairs moving and paint flaking from walls, nothing unusual in this town accustomed to tremors.
Later however, when the first tremor was practically forgotten, at around a quarter to seven came the biggest earthquake that moved all the buildings in the town. Rubble rained down onto the pavements, “for four eternal seconds” say the locals, sending people running in all directions, or sheltering wherever they could.
Chaos reigned. The sound of creaking buildings mixed with the screams of the injured, the majority with cuts to the head caused by falling rubble and glass, while thick dust filled the air.
After the initial moments of silence, the emergency services started to fill the streets lined with crushed cars to set about rescuing the victims.
Three of the nine who lost their lives were crushed by the collapsing façade of a building, just when they emerged from a bar where they had sought shelter. The rest were fatally injured on the pavements by falling rumble. The ninth victim died from his injuries on Thursday morning. Among the dead were a 14 year old boy and two pregnant women.
The Rafael Méndez hospital and other public buildings were evacuated. Meanwhile emergency workers were just moments away from being hit by part of the dome of the chapel to the Virgen de las Huertas. Significant damage was caused to the roofs of the churches of Santiago and San Diego, the sports centre lost one of its walls and one of the castle’s towers was affected.
The main problem for the emergency services once the bodies had been removed and the injured treated, was communication. Telephone lines were saturated throughout the evening. Furthermore the quake caused the closure of the Almeria-bound carriageway of the A-7 due to landslides, as well as the RM-701.
Unable to return to their homes local people gathered what clothing food and blankets they could and started to search for open spaces in which to spend the night, some in cars and others in tents. A provisional campsite was set up on the fairground for some 10,000 evacuees and undamaged warehouses were opened to provide shelter for some of them. The Civil Protection organisation handed out food and other essential items to those who had been unable, or who didn’t want to, return to their homes for provisions.
The authorities advised people not to try to leave the town by car to avoid blocking the roads and making access difficult for the emergency services.
While the vast majority of the destruction was concentrated in the town of Lorca, damage was also caused in neighbouring Totana, as well as in Albacete, some 200 kilometres away, and Vélez-Rubio in the province of Almeria. The tremor was even felt as far away as districts in south and east Madrid.
