A new 4.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Granada and leaves three people with minor injuries

Granada has shaken again. An earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude shook the Andalusian province just after half past ten in the morning, leaving three minor injuries and numerous damages. Its epicenter was located in the municipality of Gójar, just a few kilometers from Alhendín, where another earthquake of 4.8 magnitude occurred early Saturday morning, also causing numerous damages. Data from the National Geographic Institute (IGN) indicate that it was very shallow, so it was widely felt by the population. The 112 Andalucía Emergency Service received more than fifty calls reporting landslides and cracks. And the Junta de Andalucía reported three people with minor injuries, although one of them, a minor, was taken to a hospital.

Read more At least 10 dead in a Russian missile attack in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region

“Things have fallen: flowerpots, paintings, figurines. I didn’t know how to react,” explained Esther Sanz, still scared shortly after the shake. The woman from Granada arrived home this Monday from Valencia, where she had spent a few days resting, and found the thermos broken and detached from the ceiling and various damages caused by Saturday’s earthquake. She was telling her mother on the phone and, just after hanging up, she heard a loud noise. “The most unpleasant of my life,” she assures. The strong tremor was followed by several aftershocks, which left her frightened. “I don’t know whether to stay, leave, what to do,” but she thinks the best is to take her cat —Kelpie, who hid in the bed’s canapé— and flee again to Valencia. “This is torture,” she insisted. “It was very noticeable,” added another resident of Granada, Alfonso Malpica, who felt how his apartment —a ground floor in a residential area— moved, as well as the shelves or wine glasses, which clinked against each other. “It was stronger than those that happen occasionally and to which we are accustomed,” he points out.

While Granada is still calculating the damages caused by Saturday’s earthquake, the IGN reported at 10:37 that a 4.7 tremor had been felt among the population, although later, in a subsequent revision, the magnitude was raised to 4.8. It was especially felt in the metropolitan area of Granada due to its epicenter in Gójar, but also in various municipalities of Málaga, Córdoba, Jaén, and Almería, as well as —much more lightly— in places like Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Albacete, or Madrid, according to the National Geographic Institute. In the following 20 minutes, four more aftershocks occurred with epicenters in the same area of the Granada capital and varying intensities: the towns of Alhendín (2.7), Las Gabias (2.6), Churriana de la Vega (4.0), and again Gójar (2.9). At 11:34 and 12:39, two aftershocks occurred in Alhendín with magnitudes of 4.2 and 4, respectively. “Another one,” said Esther Sanz fearfully. Since August 14, almost 150 tremors have occurred in the province of Granada, according to IGN data.

Emergency Plan

The first vice president and minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Sanz, confirmed shortly after the earthquake that three people suffered minor injuries. Also, one of them, a young minor, was taken to a hospital for treatment. The Andalusian administration has kept the Emergency Plan activated in emergency phase, operational situation 1, due to the seismic risk in Granada since the earthquake last Saturday, measuring 4.8. “Maximum caution. Experts indicate that seismic movements and aftershocks may continue in the area, and it is important to know how to act in these situations,” said the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, on the social network X, along with a video from 112 offering advice to the population.

“It is important to follow the recommendations from official channels,” also requested the mayor of Granada, Marifrán Carazo. “We continue with the local emergency plan for earthquakes activated,” she added while indicating that firefighters, local police, and civil protection are deployed throughout the city and coordinated after the new earthquake “evaluating its consequences on buildings and homes.” Last Saturday’s earthquake already left more than 800 inspection requests for blocks and houses.

Read more The White House lashes out at a Democratic senator for talking about Natalie Harp, Trump’s “human printer”

Meanwhile, the Granada Provincial Council has agreed, as a preventive measure, to close all its administrative buildings, museums, and the Sports City to the public, due to the recent earthquakes recorded in the province. In a statement, the institution indicated that only the care centers dependent on the provincial institution will remain operational “guaranteeing the care and services” they provide to their users.

Evacuation at the Alhambra

As a consequence of the earthquake and its aftershocks, the Granada Metro has announced that it reduces the circulation speed to 30 kilometers per hour while the Granada Local Police have asked the population to remain calm, follow self-protection measures, and not stay near buildings due to the risk of falling elements. Meanwhile, the Alhambra Board has evacuated the Nasrid Palaces and the Alcazaba preventively and has interrupted public visits to these spaces while the situation is analyzed. Visits to the Partal and the Generalife continue normally while specialists evaluate the impact of the earthquakes.

The Granada City Council has announced the temporary closure of all municipal buildings and facilities open to the public. This measure has also been taken by the Granada Provincial Council, which has closed all its administrative buildings and museums, as well as the Sports City, to the public. Only the care centers dependent on the provincial institution will remain operational, guaranteeing the care and services they provide to their users. The Nevada and Serrallo shopping centers, both on the outskirts of Granada, have also been evacuated and closed preventively by the Civil Guard.