At least 10 people were killed when two earthquakes hit the southern Spanish region of Murcia today.
A 5.3 magnitude quake hit the town of Lorca, some 120km southwest of Alicante shortly before 7pm local time. A second 4.4 magnitude quake hit the area a short time later.
They caused houses to collapse, damaged historic churches and public buildings.
A Murcia government spokesman said that six people had been killed. The number of fatalities later rose to 10.
"The population is scared and are very afraid to return to their homes. The whole of the centre of Lorca has been seriously damaged," a delegate from the central government in Murcia told national radio. "There are thousands of very disorientated people."
The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), the US Geological Survey reported.
The town's mayor Francisco Jodar told radio station Ser that the deaths were as a result of cave-ins and falling debris.
Spanish deputy prime minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba will visit the affected area tomorrow, the government said.
The defence ministry has sent 150 members of its military emergency unit to the area, including a search and rescue team.
Spain hasn't suffered a fatal earthquake since 1969, and today's was the deadliest since 1956, state newswire Efe reported.
The old part of Lorca 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.
Reuters