Earthquake in Murcia
 

Just been an arthquake in Lorca, Murcia, only 4.5 on the scale, but seems to have done serious damage to a fine historic old church, which looks to be a complete write-off with the top section having fallen down and vertical cracks throughout the walls.

Just been another one slightly stronger causing some further damage through the town.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

News says at least 7 dead???

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espan...pepunac_38/Tes

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Espana Direct are saying 3 dead. Loads of blocks of flats seem to be badly damaged as well as the old church.

Rosemary

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Newish buildings damaged as well, which is surprising considering it's a known high risk area.

I would have thought newish ones would be built to a good enough standard to handle it.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

If you watch TVE1, they were reporting live when the bell tower fell.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Yes, we have been watching it from when the bell tower fell during the second tremor, traumatic for the people. One poor soul died in the street and although mostly covered up with a gold sheet she was still on view for a very long time.

They are now confirming that there are 7 dead. Sad, very, very sad.

Rosemary

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

The TV crew appear to be wandering around filming inside a seriously damaged building.
They must be loco !

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

I've only seen them mention seven victimas.
Doesn't mean they're brown bread surely ?

Ah yes,just came up, terrible.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

data here

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...usc0003c5s.php


And when you look at the most recent ones, there are quite a few "big one" every day.. there was a 6.8 one in the Pacific yesterday, and Japan is getting a number each day.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...uakes_all.html

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Death toll now 10 according to this channel.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

The BBC are saying the same. Hope all our members and their family and friends are OK. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

The earthquake was in Lorca, but the city has not been destroyed, only some old house or the steeple, which is a building that is centuries old. The seismic zone of Spain (in Europe, is Italy) is the southeast, and Murcia belongs to the southeast Spain. I am from Murcia, and I have a certain age...do you know how earthqueakes I have suffered in my life? Only one, in February 1999. And it was 3.5. In other words, a slight tremor

Therefore, here the danger when there is an earthquake, are mainly buildings and ancient monuments. For earthquakes, even in the most seismic of Spain, are rare, very rare (I have seen earthquakes in Germany and the United Kingdom, for exemple) and when they happen are nothing compared to the earthquakes of the countries that belong to the " Pacific Ring of Fire "

Years ago in Murcia are making new anti-seismic buildings, but the problem is with some old buildings

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Well, I hope everyone is well, without exception of nationalities

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That's why I said all our members...'cos we have members from many nationalities.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

I second that.
Yes we do indeed.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

OOOh - just saw this on Canadian News - my parents have a place in LA Manga but are back in the UK at present , so not sure if it was felt there- about 100k away.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Hope everyone is safe, BBC news hardly covered the story this morning, very odd the way they report things!

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

:(The weird thing is that here in Italy, doom mongers had predicted a serious earthquake in Rome for May 11th.
My thoughts are with all of you in Spain, and especially the victims families in Lorca.
'o nonno

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

This is currently on Yahoo.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/four-dead-s...181416888.html

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

I suppose this incident demonstrates that the actual magnitude of an earthquake is not always the crucial factor, but how close the epicentre is to a populated area and how shallow beneath the surface.

I may be wrong, but I get the impression that the number of natural disasters both large and small, from either earthquakes or extremes of weather seems to have increased dramatically in recent years.

Wonder if anyone else is of the same opinion ?

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

24 hour news ?

Internet ?

More phones ?

More cameras ?

Next world earthquakes-forecast
 

======================
Dear Mr.,

I sent to you some earthquake forecast and please evaluate.
Forecast for Sicily,Italy:
1. Date: May 28 2011
2. Time: 4h (GMT)
3. Magnitude: M5.3
4. Location: Sicily, Lat: 38.62; Long: 14.05
5. Probability: 100 %
6. Error: 300 km and 20h
========================================
Forecast for Puerto Rico:
1. Date: May 13, 2011
2. Time: 19h (GMT)
3. Location: Lat: 18.88; Long: -64.64
4. Magnitude: M5.5
5. Probability: 100%
6. Error: 300 km and 20h

Analize this:
The interval between two strong quakes in Japan from 11 March 5h 46m and
7 April 14h 32m exactly 27d 8h 46m.
Time for a tour of the Moon around the Earth exactly 27d 7h 43m.
The difference is just 1h 03m.
I ask: Who makes earthquakes?
H.A.A.R.P, Tectonic plates or the moon?
===============================================
This represents a precursor of earthquakes, which is described in the scientific literature.
Please, organize Global competition Forecasting earthquakes.

Boyko Iliev

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

:ohmy:but you didn't forecast this morning's eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily.
See spectacular video on RAI News 24 website.
'o nonno

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

A popular theory, but I'm not so sure about it.

Just watching a news report that appears to indicate that 80% of properties in the town have been affected to some degree.

Seems Lorca itself is slap on top of a fault line and an exceptionally high risk area.

Be surprised if some of the population don't leave altogether.
I don't think I'd hang around there given the choice.
Having seen the remnants of some previously affected occurrences, I would never even consider buying a property in a high risk area myself.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

We live in Ayamonte Huelva and this is where the worst quake in Spain happened. Every year there are quakes in Portugal and some are pretty high on the Richter scale. We are happy with our choice.

In 2005 there was another quake, measuring 4.6 and centered in the upper districts of Lorca and the town of Bullas, no reported personal 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.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Not the worst in Spain by a long long way, nor one of the highest risk areas.
However just because it hasn't happened lately doesn't guarantee it never will. In fact the reverse is more likely to be the case.

http://www.iberianature.com/material/earthquake.htm

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We even have cockernees :D

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Yeah strange how they were so late, it was live on Spanish news and nearly took out the film crew in the second shake. :eek:

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The famous Lisbon earthquake, while not having it's epicentre in Spain, killed loads of people in Spain, especially from the tsunami that it created.

We live right in the worse area, Granada province, but our house was built to the new standards which take into account the risks from earthquakes in the area and it was built accordingly.

When it was built, I could not believe the amount of steel and cement that went into the foundations.

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Hi everybody. Terrible event for all concerned. Swiss newspapers featured it prominently this morning with pictures. I have a question : Does house insurance cover the poor people who lost or had their properties damaged ? Or is it simply force majeur and simply tough luck ?

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In Spain natural disasters are excluded from insurance policies.

However every insurance premium includes a significant contribution to the "Consorcio" which is a centrally held fund to cover these "uninsured" losses.

By all accounts, especially after the major floods we had in Andalucia a few years ago, they pay out very efficiently.

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Wondered that myself after the Japanese tragedy, though can't imagine insurance companies even beginning to deal with something that bad.

As far as the structures are concerned, I think there must be a few question marks regarding the more recent building standards in Lorca.

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hi my daughter lives in torreiveja and said they never felt anything i myself am in the uk (nothing here)x

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

We need to wait and see what the situation really is. Most of the casualties seem to have been from falling masonry after they went outside after the first shock.

I am pretty sure my house would survive such a quake but I would bet that the two chimneys would fall off.

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Good answer!:) I'd never heard of it, but a quick google says exactly that, and that they should pay out within 3 months.
http://www.abc.es/20110512/economia/...105121515.html

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

Seen some videos of many people sleeping out in the open. The authorities didn't provide blankets, camp beds or anything. Surely they could have arranged something, the Japanese did and that was a lot worse.

Some blocks of modern flats seem to have collapsed.

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I know that you live in the UK now so have not had the opportunity to see the Spanish news coverage. I can assure you that there were a large number of tents, camp beds, blankets and plenty of food and water set up for the people.

Rosemary

Re: Earthquake in Murcia
 

There is the internet you know:blink: It was a spanish video I watched and there was nothing except white plastic patio chairs last night. According to the spanish news the tents only arrived today!

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I think that you saw the sports ground of the local college. All told there were 30000 people outside last night, I doubt that anywhere could tent that amount of people in what would have been six or seven hours. Quoting the internet, "tens of thousands of residents slept outside in makeshift camps or on the streets." quote p.a.press.net
It is always strange that we see different things isn´t it. Watching the TVE news this morning there were many people in tents and it was still dark.

Graham

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Yep, the world is a small place, you can watch Spanish tv, read Spanish papers anywhere in the world, that's how I normally keep up to date!;) TVE A La Carta, no need to miss anything.