TW
0

Lorca.—Cafeterias, supermarkets, banks and other establishments opened, while emergency workers continued removing rubble from the streets. The local hospital also reopened partially despite the damage it had suffered.

Most students were also due to return to school in the city of 100'000 residents, which was hit by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday.
Nine people died and nearly 300 were injured. About 4'000 people were still living in tented camps. The authorities were checking their identities to make sure that only the quake victims benefited from the free food and sleeping facilities that were being offered.

The authorities encouraged residents to return home as far as possible, while gas lines and hot water were being re-established in the city.
Aftershocks
Hundreds of people meanwhile queued in front of the city hall to inquire about aid, including compensation for their damaged homes. About 40 per cent of the buildings in Lorca can no longer be lived in, local authorities said.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government has pledged to rebuild the city, where the damage is estimated to amount to 70 million euros.
The earthquake was followed by dozens of aftershocks.
They will continue for a month, but will be too weak to be noticed by residents, Mayor Francisco Jodar said.