LIBYA SUNSET SHOCK ON THEIR FERTILE PLATEAU, 930 FEET ABOVE THE MEDITERRANEAN, 
THE MOSLEM CITIZENS OF EL MARJ (POP . 13,000) WELCOMED THE 
SUNSET ONE DAY LAST WEEK . IT BROUGHT TO AN END 
ANOTHER DAY-LONG FAST IMPOSED BY THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN . 
FAMILIES GATHERED AT TABLE TO BREAK THEIR FAST WITH THE TRADITIONAL 
RAMADAN DINNER AND MANY DIED WHERE THEY WERE SITTING, FOR SUNSET 
BROUGHT THE SHOCK AND TERROR OF THE WORST EARTHQUAKE IN LIBYAN 
HISTORY . FOR 15 SECONDS THE EARTH SHOOK, CRUMBLING BRICK-AND-PLASTER HOUSES 
AND MOSQUES INTO RUBBLE . SOME SURVIVORS WANDERED IN THE STREETS, 
WAILING IN ANGUISH AS THEY SEARCHED FOR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS . 
OTHERS HUDDLED DAZEDLY OVER FIRES IN THE OPEN FIELDS WHILE RAIN 
AND HEAVY WINDS MADE THE NIGHT MISERABLE, AND MORNING BROUGHT TWO 
MORE EARTH TREMORS . EL MARJ HAD LIVED THROUGH BOMBING AND 
BATTLES DURING WORLD WAR II AS BRITISH AND AXIS FORCES TOOK 
AND RETOOK THE TOWN . BUT THE QUAKE FLATTENED EL MARJ 
AS WAR NEVER DID . RESCUE WORKERS SAID THAT NOT A 
SINGLE HOUSE REMAINED HABITABLE, AND THE LIBYAN RED CRESCENT APPEALED FOR 
HELP TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS . THE U.S . AIR 
FORCE RUSHED PARAMEDICS AND TENTS FROM WHEELUS AIRBASE AT TRIPOLI, AND 
THE BRITISH FERRIED IN DOCTORS AND NURSES FROM THEIR BASE AT 
NEARBY BENGHAZI . AT WEEK'S END MORE THAN 200 BODIES HAD 
BEEN RECOVERED AND AN ESTIMATED 300500 STILL LAY BURIED IN THE 
RUINS . 