The Emergency Counselor of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Sanz, has conveyed a message of calm after the earthquake of magnitude 5 recorded this morning in Granada.
“There are no serious material damages and there are no personal injuries,” Sanz stated, after a night marked by concern in the capital of Granada and in several municipalities of the metropolitan area.
The quake occurred at 01:04 hours with an epicenter in Alhendín and was felt in numerous points of Andalucía. The tremor woke thousands of residents, caused people to go out into the streets during the early morning, and generated a high number of alerts to emergency services.
More than 40 earthquakes during the early morning and morning
The main movement was not the only one. Granada has experienced more than 40 earthquakes during the early morning and morning, most of lower magnitude, in a sequence concentrated around Alhendín, Gójar, Ogíjares, La Zubia, Armilla and other municipalities of the Vega.
Some aftershocks have again been perceptible to the population, which has maintained anxiety for several hours. The National Geographic Institute continues updating the seismic catalog as it locates and reviews the recorded movements.
Seismic emergency plan activated
The Junta de Andalucía has activated the Emergency Plan for Seismic Risk at operational level 1. This phase allows for enhanced monitoring of the situation, coordination of resources, and maintaining specific vigilance while seismic activity continues.
The activation does not necessarily imply the existence of serious damages, but rather a preventive response to an earthquake of significant magnitude and a subsequent chain of movements. The objective is to ensure coordination among administrations, emergency services, municipalities, and operational bodies.
Material damages, but without serious effects
Although Sanz has ruled out serious material damages, minor incidents have been reported in various points of the metropolitan area. These include cracks, landslides, falling facade elements, and preventive inspections of buildings.
Emergency services have received numerous alerts during the early morning and the first hours of the morning. Inspections focus on checking the condition of properties that have suffered visible damages and ruling out risks for residents or passersby.
Granada, awaiting aftershocks
The priority during this Saturday is to follow the evolution of the aftershocks and review the points where incidents have been reported. Authorities are asking the population to remain calm, to only pay attention to official channels, and not to spread predictions about new earthquakes, as it is not possible to deterministically anticipate when another quake will occur or what magnitude it will have.
Granada is located in one of the areas with the highest seismic activity on the Peninsula, so aftershocks following an earthquake of this magnitude fall within the expected scenarios. Even so, the succession of movements has left a night of fear and a morning of vigilance in the capital and its surroundings.
The message from the Junta: caution and normality
The message conveyed by Antonio Sanz seeks to contain the alarm without lowering vigilance. The Junta has activated the monitoring device, but insists that there are no reported victims or serious material damages.
The situation is now pending two fronts: the evolution of the seismic sequence recorded by the IGN and the inspections of buildings and infrastructures in Granada and its metropolitan area. For now, the most important balance is that the earthquake of magnitude 5 has not caused personal damages.