In May 2011, an earthquake killed nine persons and destroyed the old part of the town of Lorca in Murcia, in the South Eastern coast of Spain. At the time, TRH the Prince and Princess of Asturias visited the affected areas, a refugee camp and attended the funeral for the deceased.
In June 2011, HM the King received the State Prize of the Russian Federation, the highest official Russian honour, for his humanitarian work in 2010. The Royal Household announced that the money of the Award (125,000 euros) would be donated to Lorca, to help repair the destroyed historical heritage.
This has not been the only donation from the Royal Family to the city of Lorca. The Queen Sofía Foundation has set aside 271,000 euros of its budget to repair four buildings still closed after the earthquake. The buildings are a geriatric hospital, an XVIII century Church, a Conservatory opened in 1788 and an 18th century palace used for exhibitions.
Finally, the Hesperia Foundation, presided by the Prince and Princess of Asturias and founded with the inheritance money they received from a Mallorcan businessman, has also assigned 25,000 euros to help repair the structure of a school for children with physical or physic handicaps.
- Read more (Spanish) :La Fundación Reina Sofía ayudará en la restauración del patrimonio de Lorca