A powerful early-morning earthquake rattled the Granada area on Saturday, damaging buildings, splitting roads and leaving some residents trapped as the popular southern Spanish tourist region was shaken awake.
The magnitude 5 tremor struck near the city of Alhendin, just outside Granada, shortly after 1am local time — around midnight in the UK.
Initial reports indicated one quake was recorded at a shallow depth of 2km (1.2 miles), followed by another at around 10km (6 miles) below the surface.
Videos shared from the area showed homes swaying as the tremors hit, while parked cars were seen covered in rubble that had fallen from nearby buildings.
The impact was also visible on the roads, where large cracks opened across sections of tarmac as shaking was felt across the provinces of Granada and Malaga.
Emergency crews in Andalusia were called in to rescue people stuck inside damaged properties. Officials said no injuries had been reported.
Regional emergency services received around 200 calls from across Andalusia, including from Seville, Cordoba and coastal resorts along the Costa del Sol.
Antonio Sanz Cabello, vice-president of the Andalusian regional government, said in a post on X on Saturday that authorities had activated an emergency declaration in response to the quake.
An earthquake struck the southern Spanish city of Granada in the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving cracks in the road
Cars were filmed buried under debris that had fallen ton top of them from buildings
‘If you’re in Granada, you’ve felt the earthquake, you’re okay, and your home shows no damage, stay calm and avoid entering and exiting buildings unnecessarily,’ he said.
‘On the street, stay away from facades, cornices, balconies, walls, and other elements that could fall.’
A local resident captured the moment the tremor hit his home as he livestreamed on social media.
The man speaks into the camera before he, and his living room, starts shaking.
His body can be seen moving side-to-side as his shelving cabinets bang against the walls, lasting around 20 seconds.
Regional authorities received calls reporting falling objects, shaking furniture and doors.
The powerful jolt also damaged buildings and homes, leaving cracks in walls and, in some cases, the collapse of entire structures.
‘Cracks have appeared, elements such as ledges, rubble and walls have fallen and damage has been reported in some buildings,’ local emergency services said in a statement.
A local resident captured the moment the tremor hit his home as he livestreamed on social media
They urged the population to keep calm and avoid the facades, ledges, balconies and walls of buildings that could collapse, as well as not entering or leaving buildings unnecessarily.
‘We really felt the shaking, it was so strong that it woke us up,’ Marta Mayorga Fernandez told public broadcaster RTVE from the town of Huetor Vega, just outside Granada.
She said she saw ‘quite a lot of places with damaged door fronts’ and that friends had shared photos of belongings that had fallen from shelves.
The epicentre hit Alendin, a few miles from Granada, with a depth of 2km (1.2 miles).
A smaller 2.6 quake followed a few minutes later near the village of Gojar.
Small earthquakes in Spain’s most populous region are not uncommon but they rarely reach magnitude 5.
Granada is best known for its UNESCO-listed Alhambra palace, a jewel of medieval Islamic architecture that was home to the rulers of Spain’s last Muslim kingdom.
The incident follows an earthquake that hit Granada last month, measuring 3.7.
The quake hit around 6km (3.73 miles) south of Granada on July 26.
The epicentre was in the town of Ogijares, at a depth of 6km.
However, it was felt in several parts of Granada province as well as in several municipalities in the Malaga province.
