Granada earthquake damages buildings; Alhambra unaffected

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake near Granada damaged buildings early Saturday, but officials said there were no casualties, no serious structural damage and no damage to the city's Alhambra palace.

Spain's National Geographical Institute said the tremor happened shortly after 1:00 am, with its epicentre in Alhendin, about 10 kilometres south of Granada.

Andalusian emergency services said cracks, fallen ledges, rubble and wall damage had been reported in some buildings.

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusia region's top emergencies official, said firefighters received 300 calls and carried out 85 interventions, especially in southern Granada and the city's metropolitan area.

“There is no serious structural damage, no serious material damage and there are no casualties,” Sanz said. He said the UNESCO-listed Alhambra, one of Granada's best-known tourist sites, “had not been affected in any way”.

Officials said buildings were still being inspected and aftershocks were possible. Sanz said the last earthquake of this magnitude in Andalusia was in 1955.

An AFP journalist in Granada saw broken tiles that had fallen from a church roof, with tourists stopping to take photos of the cordoned-off site. Images shared by Spanish media showed rubble on streets and cars with smashed windows.

RTVE quoted Marta Mayorga Fernandez, from nearby Huetor Vega, as saying the shaking woke residents and left people frightened. Sanz said a telephone line had been set up to respond to anxiety and nervousness among the public.