At least 10 people are dead after a pair of earthquakes hit southeastern Spain in quick succession Wednesday.
Officials have reported major damage to buildings in the area near the epicenter, which is close to the city of Lorca. The two quakes occurred within about two hours of each other.
It's believed the second quake was more powerful than the first, with magnitudes of 4.4 and 5.2 respectively, The Associated Press reports.
The Murcia regional government said that a hospital in Lorca had to be evacuated following the quake, with 270 patients being taken out of the building. Officials were planning to set up a field hospital nearby.
With the death toll rising, the quake is the deadliest in Spain for more than five decades.
Images from Spanish television captured chunks of stones falling from a church façade in Lorca. Other video images showed a massive church bell amid rubble, including crushed cars.
"I felt a tremendously strong movement, followed by a lot of noise, and I was really frightened," Lorca resident Juani Avellanada told newspaper El Pais.
About 85,000 people call Lorca home.
Juana Ruiz, another resident, said her home was split open from the power of the tremours.
In 1956, 12 people died and 70 others injured when a quake shook the southern Granada region.
