A rare earthquake rocked on Wednesday an ancient town in southeastern Spain, Lorca. It caused houses to collapse, damaged historic churches and killing at least 10 people.

The highest quake-related death toll in Spain in more than 50 years occurred when the quakes - with magnitudes of 4.4 and 5.3 - struck close to the town of Lorca, with the second about two hours after the first.

Reports suggested that those who died were struck by falling debris in the streets after fleeing their houses, which they feared might collapse.

Large chunks of stone and brick fell from the facade of a church in Lorca as a reporter for Spanish state TV was broadcasting live from the scene.

Among the rubble was a large church bell, which missed striking the reporter who appeared to be about 30 feet away when it fell.

The mayor of the southern town, Francisco Jodar, told reporters as many as a third of Lorca's 90,000 residents spent the night outdoors after Wednesday's 5.3 magnitude earthquake.

The number of fatalities was revised down from an earlier report of 10.

A military task force of 200 troops was sent to the area to provide aid and cordon off dangerous buildings. Part of the front of a badly damaged church collapsed hours after the quake and other buildings were considered unstable.

Earthquakes causing extensive damage and fatalities are rare in Spain although the south of the country has extensive faultlines. The U.S. Geological Survey registered one dead in a 1997 earthquake.