Multiple earthquakes strike Granada in three hours, three injured

Granada was struck by three significant earthquakes within an hour Tuesday morning, continuing a seismic episode that began last Friday.

The first earthquake, measuring magnitude 4.8, occurred at 10:37 a.m. with its epicenter in Gójar, a municipality near Alhendín. The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) classified it as very shallow, making it widely felt across the city and metropolitan area. A second earthquake of magnitude 4.0 followed at 10:53 a.m. in Churriana de la Vega. A third earthquake measuring 4.2 magnitude struck Alhendín at 11:34 a.m. at a depth of 5 kilometers.

According to Antonio Sanz, vice president and regional minister of Presidency, Health and Emergencies, three people sustained injuries from the earthquakes. One of the injured, a minor, was transported to a hospital. The Andalusian regional government reported the three injuries as minor.

The emergency service 112 Andalucía received more than fifty calls reporting collapses and cracks in buildings. Residents reported objects falling inside homes, including flowerpots, pictures, and figurines. One resident, Esther Sanz, described the experience: "Things fell: flowerpots, pictures, figurines. I didn't know how to react."

This seismic activity follows a stronger earthquake that struck the region on August 15. That earthquake measured magnitude 5.0 with its epicenter in Alhendín and occurred at 1:04 a.m. The tremor lasted approximately ten seconds and was felt across multiple autonomous communities, including Madrid. It was followed by numerous aftershocks but caused no significant structural or material damage.

The earthquakes on Tuesday were accompanied by several intense aftershocks that were widely felt throughout the metropolitan area. The shallow depth of the main tremor contributed to its being felt with particular intensity in the capital and surrounding municipalities, where residents experienced visible shaking of walls and ceilings for several seconds.