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Buildings ripped open....and shutters ripped off...Locals in this tiny hamlet have been picking up the pieces after an unusally strong quake hit. It was just before midday on Monday when everything began to shake for several seconds. VOXPOP GIRL"It was really scary. I can't describe it. I was worried the roof would fall in"VOXPOP OLD LADY"These are really old buildings, and we've never experienced a quake. I would never have believed it"Several homes have been splintered from the roof right down to the ground by the 5.4 strength tremour.This resident was fortunately not at home at the time.SOT PIERRE"All of this moved. And this could now collapse" SOT "The top floor of the town hall is not accesible. The roofs have all collapsed. The roofs on the 2 churches look like they could cave in. We haven't done a proper assessment, but the damage seems great"The damage suggests the quake struck at a depth of between 5 and 10 kilometres.4 people in total were injured, 1 of them seriously.
The Cruas nuclear power plant in the Drome region was temporarily shut down, but French power giant EDF said there were no effects on production or on the site's safety.Hundreds of firefighters were deployed across the region to evacuate over 8 thousand residents from their homes.UPSOT FIREFIGHTER"Is everyone out ? How many are you?"3 local sports centres were quickly transformed into shelters, where hundreds of people have spent the night in safety.

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