Baseball game 'saves' lives as quake hits city.

Byline: JOHN AVISON 

APOWERFUL earthquake, the second largest ever to hit the US, rocked San Francisco, killing 63 people and injuring 3,500 on this day in 1989. The epicentre of the quake, which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, was thought to have been Loma Prieta, 10 miles north of Santa Cruz on the San Andreas fault.

Officials reported "unbelievable damage to infrastructure" with collapsed bridges and freeways, fires, shattered buildings, gaping cracks in roads and landslides. More than 100,000 buildings were severely damaged.

The two-tier Bay Bridge and Nimitz freeway both partially collapsed. Tremors from the quake, which lasted 15 seconds, were reported 400 miles away in Los Angeles and 200 miles away in Reno, Nevada.

The quake struck as people were making their way home after work. Traffic was brought to a standstill and many homes left without power.

Fans waiting to see the baseball World Series match at Candlestick Park were also caught up in the quake. Supporters ran on to the pitch as the whole stadium swayed.

Hospitals were flooded with injured victims. Ambulance worker Kimberly Kelly said: "We're getting mainly shock, cuts and shortness of breath."

Officials were said to be shocked at the amount of damage as freeways and buildings are supposed to be earthquake-proof.

The Governor of California, George Deukmajian, said: "I had been under the impression that the highways had been constructed to deal with any severe earthquake and I am very surprised to see what has happened to some of those." "I think we are going to have some kind of inquiry to determine why they did not survive a quake of this severity." The final death toll of 63 was well below the 300 expected deaths. The reason for the lower-than-expected death toll was put down to the fact that most people had left work early to watch the third of the World Series baseball games which was being shown on television.

Over 12,000 people were made homeless by the earthquake. Some were eventually able to return to their homes following extensive repairs.

. A CULL of 4,300 grey seals planned for the Orkneys and Western Islands was reduced after intense public pressure this day in 1978.

Just 2,000 seals were scheduled for death instead.

A group of Norwegian hunters, in their boat the Kvitungen, was sent home leaving local hunters to carry out the cull. Announcing the decision, Scottish Secretary Brian Millan said he believed scientific advice he had received was correct but due to widespread public concern he had decided to revise the number of seals to be killed.

The Natural Environment Research Council which advised the government to carry out the cull said if no action were taken the number of seals would double, to 140,000, in ten years.

At the time, seals accounted for an annual loss of pounds 12m to the fishing industry as a result of the amount of fish they consume. The Rainbow Warrior trawler, owned by conservation group Greenpeace, spent two weeks trailing the Norwegian boat preventing the start of the cull.

The widespread campaign against the cull resulted in Downing Street receiving over 14,000 letters in protest at the decision. The reduced seal cull was carried out by local hunters in December 1978.

British waters hold around 40% of the world population of grey seals.

Since the 1960s the population of grey seals has risen an average of 6% per year. By 1999 there were 123,000 grey seals in Britain with 93% found in Scotland. In 1985 the Rainbow Warrior was bombed by French secret service agents while in Auckland harbour, New Zealand. The trawler was replaced by a second Rainbow Warrior which continues to be used in environmental campaigns by Greenpeace.

. FOUR people died when a high speed passenger train derailed in Hatfield, just north of London, this day in 2000.

The train, carrying about 200 passengers, was travelling at 115mph when it came off the tracks, causing many of the carriages to be tipped over.

Investigations into the crash found the cause was a cracked rail. This discovery led Railtrack to embark on a huge programme of rail checks and replacement.

Speed limits were imposed across the network to allow work to be carried out, causing all timetables to be changed. In 2001 the government refused to continue to help Railtrack with its spiralling repair bill and, on the order of then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, Railtrack went into administration. The High Court allowed Railtrack to be taken out of administration in 2002 so that Network Rail could take over. In September 2005 Network Rail was found guilty of breaching health and safety legislation over the crash. It was fined pounds 3.5m and maintenance firm Balfour Beatty pounds 10m. There were both ordered to pay pounds 300,000 in costs.

CAPTION(S):

* SAVED: 2,300 grey seals were spared in a Scottish cull in 1978 WRECKED: Destruction in San Francisco after the quake struck in 1989