Residents evacuated, owners boarded up homes and businesses and emergency officials prepared rescue and relief plans as forecasters predicted Hurricane Wilma would pick up speed on a course toward Florida.

More than 500 people have died and around 4,600 were injured in the massive Algerian earthquake that shook the area near the capital.

Up to 500 people are now feared dead after a strong earthquake hit Algeria. There are reports that 1,672 people were injured in the quake.

At least 19 people were killed when a strong earthquake shook west-central Mexico sending panicked residents spilling into the streets of major cities and knocking out power to many areas, officials said today.