Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Hit Southern Spain

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 hit southern Spain on Monday morning, affecting more than 50 towns, including tourist hotspot Malaga.

The earthquake which struck off the coast of Almería, southeast Spain follows a weekend of severe floods and thunderstorms in Spain, with streets turned into rivers, and floodwater swamping shopfronts and restaurants.

The country is also preparing for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4, recorded as IV or V on the European Macroseismic Scale, which equates to “widely observed” to “strong”, according to the IGN. It was more powerful than the one that hit Lorca in 2011, which resulted in nine deaths, including a pregnant woman.

Andalusia emergency services are said to have received 25 calls from the public, according to El País. However, no injuries have been reported so far despite damage to buildings across the region