Quake hits Alhendin after 1 a.m.

The tremor struck the metropolitan area of Alhendin, just south of Granada, shortly after 1 a.m. local time. Spanish broadcaster TVE showed debris strewn across streets and damage to parked cars in the popular tourist city, while Andalusian emergency services rescued a number of people from damaged buildings.

No serious damage or casualties

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusia region’s top emergencies official, said there was no serious structural or material damage and no casualties. He confirmed the Alhambra palace, a celebrated example of Andalusian Islamic architecture, had not been affected in any way. The regional government said houses and vehicles were damaged but no injuries had been reported.

A region familiar with tremors

Andalusia sits above complex fault systems, and earthquakes of this scale, while not frequent, are recorded in the region from time to time. The United States Geological Survey listed the event at 5.2 magnitude, making it one of the stronger recent tremors to affect mainland Spain. Authorities urged residents to check on neighbours and report any structural concerns as aftershocks were assessed.