Spanish PM tours quake-hit area

Spain’s prime minister is touring the quake-ravaged city of Lorca for a first-hand look at building damage that caused an estimated 3,000 people to spend another night sleeping in tents in makeshift camps.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero visited the area hardest hit by the quake, which killed nine people and injured hundreds, and pledged the government will help Lorca rebuild and return to normal as soon as possible.

At one point Mr Zapatero stopped to watch as crews tore away loose chunks of concrete from the tops of buildings and let them crash to the ground.

The Spanish cabinet is to approve aid for people who lost their homes or businesses at a meeting today.

A funeral Mass for some of the nine dead was also scheduled for today.