The 5.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Almería was felt in Granada, Jaén, Málaga, Murcia, and Alicante.

On Monday morning, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Almería. It was reported in locations across Andalusia, Murcia, Albacete, and Alicante. The tremor was also felt in Morocco and Algeria, although no personal or property damage has been recorded thus far.

The National Geographic Institute (IGN) reported the tremor at 07:13 local time (05:13 UTC), with the epicentre at coordinates 36.5473 latitude and -1.8077 longitude, at a depth of 2 km.

The seismic movement has achieved a maximum intensity of IV on the EMS scale, signifying a shock felt by the populace.

The IGN update confirms that the earthquake was felt with intensity IV in Almeria municipalities such as Albox, Huércal-Overa, Garrucha, Pechina , and several hamlets of Cuevas del Almanzora and Mojácar .

With intensity III-IV and III it was perceived in more than fifty towns in the provinces of Almería, Murcia, Granada, Málaga, Melilla and even points of Alicante, Albacete and Jaén , such as Cartagena, Lorca, Roquetas de Mar, Almería capital, Vera, Níjar, Motril, and Murcia .

The earthquake occurred in an area of high seismic activity, located on the border between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Mobile alerts

The earthquake activated Android’s seismic alert system, which sent automatic notifications to numerous mobile phones of residents in the provinces of Almería and Granada.

The 112 Andalusian emergency service has received a total of 25 calls from individuals. calls from private individuals: 20 from the province of Almería, four from Granada, and one from Jaén. No personal or property damage was reported. Most of the calls were received in the minutes following the earthquake.

The alert sent to mobile phones included a set of detailed recommendations for action after an earthquake, including putting on shoes before moving about, even inside the home, and checking for the smell of gas. In this case, it is advisable to turn off the building’s water supply or evacuate if it is not possible to do so safely.

It also warned of the need to avoid damaged structures, check for cracks or signs of possible collapse, avoid touching downed power lines, and avoid using damaged chimneys.

The system also advised residents to put out small fires as soon as they were discovered, to inspect wiring, pipes, and appliances for damage, and to stock up on water, medication, and basic supplies in case of a power outage. People in coastal regions were urged to evacuate to higher ground following the earthquake due to the potential of a tsunami.

Hours earlier, at 03:38 local time (01:38 UTC), the IGN detected a little earthquake of magnitude 1.6 in the northwest of the municipality of Puerto Lumbreras (Murcia), at a depth of 9 km.

Due to its modest magnitude, this seismic event went unnoticed by the populace and caused no issues, despite being included in the National Seismic Network’s normal monitoring system.

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