A magnitude 5 earthquake was felt in the early hours of this Saturday in southern Spain, with its epicenter in the municipality of Alhendín in the province of Granada, Andalusia, causing various material damages but no injuries.
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The tremor was recorded at 1:04 a.m. local time this Saturday, at two kilometers depth, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), and forced the Junta de Andalucía to activate the emergency phase, operational situation 1, of the Seismic Risk Plan.
So far, neither Civil Protection nor emergency services have reported any victims, although the continuation of tremors caused many residents of the Granada metropolitan area to leave their homes to gather in parks and other open-air spaces.
The Junta, in coordination with the Granada Provincial Council and the town halls, will inspect buildings showing damage during this Saturday to check if it is structural.
The provincial administration has also activated a special plan from this Saturday, a day that will also be marked by the storm, with rain during the night and yellow warnings in the province.
It has been felt in several Andalusian provinces
According to Sanz in an audio sent to the media, the Andalusian Emergency Agency (EMA) has activated the emergency phase, operational situation 1, to reinforce monitoring of the situation and coordinate both resources and necessary actions.
The Alhendín earthquake has been felt by residents of all Andalusian provinces except Huelva and Cádiz, especially in the province of Granada, the Almería and Málaga coasts, and various points in Jaén.
The Emergency Minister explained that the Junta is working in coordination with the Granada Provincial Council and the affected town halls and emphasized that there are no reports of personal injuries, emergency service 061 alerts, or hospital transfers.
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He added that firefighters and police are analyzing points with damage to prevent pedestrians from passing through the area and asked citizens to respect the signs of the security forces and not approach the areas affected by the earthquake.
The Junta has asked to “avoid entering and leaving buildings unnecessarily”
Andalusian emergency services have received more than 80 alert calls from frightened citizens due to the tremor in different provinces. The Junta de Andalucía has already issued several warning messages with recommendations to stay away from “facades, cornices, balconies, walls, and other elements that may fall.” Additionally, it has asked to “avoid entering and leaving buildings unnecessarily.”
It has also published a guide advising to turn off water, electricity, and gas valves after a strong tremor, as well as to have a backpack ready with flashlights, bottled water, basic first aid items, and a whistle, among other things. Also, to crouch and cover under a table in case of an earthquake.
In recent hours, the National Geographic Institute (IGN) has recorded up to 40 earthquakes of varying intensity concentrated in the Granada metropolitan area after the magnitude 5 earthquake.
These tremors have had their epicenter in Ogíjares, La Zubia, Otura, Gójar, Churriana de la Vega, Armilla, and Alhendín, with intensities ranging between 1.6 and 2.6 magnitude.
The continuation of earthquakes, all in an area sharing a fault, has recalled the so-called seismic swarm experienced in the Vega de Granada in January 2021.
At that time, the Junta activated the pre-emergency phase of the Seismic Risk Plan in the province of Granada, an operation that was active for three months during which more than 1,600 alerts related to the earthquake swarm concentrated in the Vega were managed.
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