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Spain struck by worst quake in over half a century

interns Contributor
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Spain’s biggest earthquake in 57 years damaged a town and killed eight people, a day before European officials decide on safety checks for atomic plants in response to Japan’s quake-related nuclear disaster.

Temblors measuring 4.4 and 5.2 yesterday injured 167 people, three seriously, the prime minister’s office said in a statement on its website. They were centered in Lorca, a town in the Mediterranean coastal province of Murcia, and caused a “large amount” of damage to property, the government said.

European nuclear officials today are set to decide on parameters for safety inspections on atomic power plants in response to the Japanese nuclear crisis caused by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Spain’s Cofrentes reactor, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of Lorca, was undamaged and operating normally, a spokeswoman at the plant said today.

Full story: Spain’s worst quake since 1954 precedes EU nuclear decision