ESCAPE: Drivers were lucky to avoid being hit by the five-tone chunk of rock

DRIVERS in Granada have narrowly cheated death as an enormous five-tonne boulder crashed down onto the carretera.

The N-340 road between Nerja and Torrox was completely closed off yesterday, as engineers began clearing the highway of the 25-metre-cubed rock, which fell at around 4:00pm.

Despite the sizeable chunk off cliff landing near beach bar La Restinga, there were no injuries or fatalities.

The mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina said: “We have decided to close it as a precaution and estimate it will remain closed for about a week.

“It is not just about removing it,” he continued, “for safety we have to clean all the rocks and eliminate those that are cracked so that the wall becomes compact again.”

EXPENSIVE: Engineers begin costly clean-up operation

It is expected that the huge lump of stone, which broke free from a protective cliff face mesh, will cost over €40,000 to break up and dispose of.

With a history of rock falls in the area the mayor took no chances in sealing off the highway ahead of heavy rain forecasts.

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