Alex Trelinski
AN EARTHQUAKE of magnitude 5.4 centred off Cabo de Gata in Almeria was felt in large parts of eastern Spain on Monday.
A tsunami alert was activated briefly for some coastal areas after the quake occurred at 7.13am.
Besides Almeria, reports about the tremor came in from Granada, Malaga, Jaen, Alicante and Albacete provinces as well as the Murcia region.
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The tremor was also noted as far away as Morocco and Algeria, with no damage or injuries reported.
The National Geographic Institute said the quake was recorded at a depth of only three kilometres, which meant the shock could be felt over a wide area.
The 112 Andalucia emergency service received 25 calls about the quake, 20 of which were from Almeria, with four in Granada and one in Jaen.
Around 30 calls were taken by 112 operators in the Murcia region.
At 8.49am an aftershock of magnitude 3.4 was recorded, followed by another 10 smaller tremors, with two logged at magnitude 2.7- all with epicentres in the sea.
The initial tremor activated Android’s seismic alert system, which sent automatic notifications to numerous phones in the Almeria, Granada and Malaga areas.
The mobile phone alaet included a set of recommendations for action after an earthquake.
Among them, putting on shoes before moving, even inside the house, and checking for the smell of gas.
It also warned of possible aftershocks and included links to additional information.
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