Spain tourist destination hit by 5 magnitude earthquake in the dead of night leaving roads cracked and buildings shuddering

An earthquake measuring magnitude 5.2 struck the southern Spanish city of Granada in the early hours of Saturday morning, cracking roads, damaging buildings and trapping people inside collapsed structures. The tremor, felt across the popular tourist region including the Costa del Sol, prompted Andalusian authorities to declare an emergency, though no injuries have so far been reported.

The quake struck just after 1am local time with an epicentre near the village of Otura, south of Granada, at a shallow depth of 2km, followed by a second tremor at 10km deep. Emergency services received around 200 calls from across the region, including Seville, Cordoba and Malaga, reporting falling debris, cracked walls and shaking furniture. It follows a smaller 3.7-magnitude quake near Granada in July and a 5.5-magnitude quake that hit southern Spain in July 2025, though officials note earthquakes of this strength remain rare in the region.