Sonali TiwaryA magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck southern Spain on Tuesday, damaging buildings and vehicles near Granada and forcing the temporary closure of the Alhambra, one of the country’s most visited landmarks.
The quake hit at 10:37 a.m. local time (08:37 GMT), centered about 10 kilometers south of Granada near the town of Alhendín. Its depth was recorded at less than 10 kilometers, a shallow rupture. Shallow quakes of the same magnitude typically produce stronger shaking at the surface than deeper ones.
At least three people suffered minor injuries. Falling debris damaged parked cars and buildings in the city. Granada’s metro system reduced train speeds to 30 kilometers per hour as a precaution.
The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 that draws roughly 2.7 million visitors a year, shut its gates. Several museums and government buildings in the city also closed.
“Everything came crashing down. It was terrifying,” said Cristina Ruiz Lopez, a lab worker in Granada.
Alfonso Malpica, a local resident, described the tremor as “stronger than the ones that happen from time to time,” referring to the smaller quakes that have rattled the region in recent days.
Tuesday’s quake was part of a cluster of shallow tremors that began on Friday, Aug. 15. Spain records between 2,000 and 3,000 measurable earthquakes each year. Granada sits near the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, one of the more seismically active zones in Western Europe.
For residents, the immediate disruption centered on daily routines: slower commutes on the metro, shuttered offices, and a closed Alhambra. City officials had not, as of Tuesday, announced a timeline for reopening the site or the affected municipal buildings. Inspections of damaged structures were underway.
No fatalities were reported.
