Aftershocks rattle Spain's Granada overnight

MADRID, Aug 19 - At least 10 earthquakes struck Granada in southern Spain overnight, authorities said on Wednesday, continuing seismic activity that began in the region five days ago and has caused light injuries and damage to buildings.

Many shops, churches and museums were closed while the local government shuttered offices as a precaution. Local media reported that some residents fled to the coast while others opted to stay outdoors for fear of structures collapsing.

The strongest quake of the sequence was of magnitude 3.4 at 10.35 p.m. on Tuesday, with its epicentre in Ogijares, 7 km (4 miles) south of Granada city, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN).

It was followed by nine tremors between 1.5 and 2.5 magnitude and dozens of smaller aftershocks.

Health services said they treated 14 cases — mostly panic or anxiety attacks — and more than 500 calls were made to emergency services. About 600 people were evacuated from apartment blocks that required inspection, Andalusian official Antonio Sanz told reporters on Tuesday.

"There's clearly no imminent danger and the public hasn't been at risk," Sanz said, adding that it was still impossible to determine the full extent of the damage, though preliminary assessments suggested it was limited to cornices and facades rather than serious structural issues.

Paqui Valero, a resident of Albolote on Granada's outskirts, told local newspaper Ideal that she and her partner abandoned work to drive south with their two children on a jammed highway.

"I felt a lot of panic," she said. REUTERS