The magnitude 5 earthquake that shook Granada this morning has left visible damage to homes, buildings, streets, and vehicles, but the first health assessment offers for now the best possible data: there are no reports of injuries.
The Emergency Service 112 Andalucía has managed more than 200 reports related to the earthquake, while only the Firefighters of Granada have received around a hundred calls requesting inspections of properties. The Junta has activated the emergency phase, operational situation 1, of the Plan for Seismic Risk.
The majority of the reports correspond to material damage: falling cornices, tiles, debris, and other elements of facades, cracks, and damages in buildings. The emergency services are reviewing the affected points because some damaged elements could detach hours after the main earthquake.
There have been no injuries from the Granada earthquake
The counselor of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, has confirmed that there are no personal damages reported. There have also been no arrivals at hospitals related to the earthquake nor has the 061 reported significant health issues.
This does not mean that the emergency services have not had to assist people. The Local Police has reported several elevators detached in old buildings in Granada, with people trapped inside who had to be rescued. The incidents were resolved without any injuries being reported.
The absence of injuries is particularly relevant considering the intensity with which the earthquake was felt and the time it occurred, at 01:04, when a large part of the population was in their homes.
A building evacuated in Las Gabias
One of the most important actions has taken place in Las Gabias.
Civil Protection and the security forces ordered the preventive evacuation of a building due to the possibility that it had suffered structural damage. Technicians must now check the condition of the property before its residents can return normally.
The Granada Provincial Council has activated its teams of Civil Protection and the Emergency Agency of Andalucía has also mobilized the Group of Volunteer Architects of Andalucía, responsible for collaborating in the evaluation of the affected buildings.
The first inspections carried out in Granada capital do not point, however, to widespread structural damage. The City Council considers for now that most of the detected issues are minor and are concentrated in the exterior elements of the buildings.
Cornices, tiles, and fallen bricks in Granada
The capital concentrates numerous interventions.
There have been reports of detachments in Camino de Ronda, Reyes Católicos, and Alhamar street, while in the Albaicín part of the roof of the church tower of San Miguel Bajo has detached.
The Local Police has also detected cracks and falling elements at different points in the center and the Albaicín. The areas of the Genil river, Zaidín, and the south of Granada capital, closest to the epicenter of Alhendín, concentrate a good part of the inspection requests.
Firefighters and Police are marking the places where there is a danger of new detachments. The Junta insists that these perimeters should not be crossed and that people should not remain near cornices, balconies, facades, or walls that show damage. (Cadena SER)
A cornice falls on a car in Armilla
Armilla is another of the municipalities where the earthquake has left particularly striking images.
Part of a cornice fell on a parked vehicle and caused material damage. Emergency teams have also intervened in other facades of the municipality to remove elements that could fall onto the public road.
In Ogíjares, cracks have been located in some buildings, while Churriana de la Vega has also reported detachments in facades.
Huétor Vega also suffered a power supply interruption after the earthquake, according to the report provided by the provincial emergency services.
Water and gas leaks and people trapped in elevators
The damage is not limited to the facades.
Emergency services have had to intervene due to water and gas leaks detected at various points in Granada, including Andrés Segovia street and the avenues of Dílar, América, and Barcelona.
There have also been incidents with elevators in old buildings. Some were left hanging after the shake and it was necessary to rescue the people who had become trapped.
This type of incident explains one of the recommendations that the authorities are repeating throughout the morning: do not use elevators if there is suspicion that the building may have suffered damage.
Hotels evacuated as a preventive measure
The tremor also led to the preventive evacuation of some hotel establishments in Granada.
Police sources cited by Andalusian media indicate the hotels Luna, Saray, and Alhamar among the establishments that carried out evacuations while the safety of the buildings was being checked.
Thousands of residents of Granada and municipalities in the metropolitan belt also opted to leave their homes during the early morning and wait in squares, parks, and open spaces in light of the succession of aftershocks.
This was not a general evacuation ordered by the authorities, but fundamentally a spontaneous reaction to the fear of new movements.
More than 200 calls to 112 and one hundred alerts to the Firefighters
The magnitude of the earthquake is reflected in the volume of calls.
112 has exceeded 200 alerts from Andalusia, with communications from all provinces except Cádiz and Huelva. In Granada city, the Firefighters received approximately a hundred requests to inspect buildings.
The majority of these requests refer to possible cracks, landslides, or doubts about the safety of properties.
The Group of Volunteer Architects of Andalusia will now evaluate the constructions that require a more in-depth technical review, while municipal and provincial services continue to visit the points where damages have been reported.
The balance may change during the morning
The data available early on paints a picture of significant localized material damage, but without victims or injuries.
That may change as inspections progress. The authorities are still reviewing homes, public buildings, facades, and facilities in numerous municipalities in the metropolitan area, while the IGN continues to detect aftershocks from the main earthquake.
Juanma Moreno has urged to remain calm and has issued a warning especially directed at the damages that have not yet fully manifested: caution must be exercised regarding any affected cornice or facade that may subsequently detach.
The recommendation is not to approach damaged buildings to observe them or take photographs and to respect all cordons established by Firefighters, Police, and Civil Protection.