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

Published: 10:40, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 10:58, 15 August 2026 An earthquake struck the southern Spanish city of Granada in the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving roads split in half and buildings shaking.  The earthquake, with a magnitude of 5, hit the metropolitan area of Alhendin just after 1am local time, around 11pm in the UK. It is understood a quake with a depth of 2km (1.2 miles) was followed by another at 10km (6 miles).  Footage captures homes shaking under the tremors, while cars were filmed buried under debris that had fallen from buildings. The earthquake also left cracks that split entire roads in the popular tourist city.  Andalusian emergency services rescued people from damaged buildings. No injuries have been reported.  The services received around 200 calls from across the region, including Seville, Cordoba and beach resorts on the Costa del Sol.  Antonio Sanz Cabello, vice-president of the Andalusian regional government, announced in a post on X on Saturday that authorities had declared an emergency. 'If you're in Granada, you've felt the earthquake, you're okay, and your home shows no damage, stay calm and avoid entering and exiting buildings unnecessarily,' he said. 'On the street, stay away from facades, cornices, balconies, walls, and other elements that could fall.'  An earthquake struck the southern Spanish city of Granada in the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving cracks in the road Cars were filmed buried under debris that had fallen from buildings Regional authorities received calls reporting falling objects, shaking furniture and doors.  The powerful jolt also damaged buildings and homes, leaving cracks in walls and, in some cases, the collapse of entire structures. 'Cracks have appeared, elements such as ledges, rubble and walls have fallen and damage has been reported in some buildings,' local emergency services said in a statement. They urged the population to keep calm and avoid the facades, ledges, balconies and walls of buildings that could collapse, as well as not entering or leaving buildings unnecessarily.  'We really felt the shaking, it was so strong that it woke us up,' Marta Mayorga Fernandez told public broadcaster RTVE from the town of Huetor Vega, just outside Granada. She said she saw 'quite a lot of places with damaged door fronts' and that friends had shared photos of belongings that had fallen from shelves. Small earthquakes in Spain's most populous region are not uncommon but they rarely reach magnitude 5. Granada is best known for its UNESCO-listed Alhambra palace, a jewel of medieval Islamic architecture that was home to the rulers of Spain's last Muslim kingdom. The incident follows an earthquake that hit Granada last month, measuring 3.7.  The quake hit around 6km (3.73 miles) south of Granada on July 26. The epicentre was in the town of Ogijares, at a depth of 6km. However, it was felt in several parts of Granada province as well as in several municipalities in the Malaga province.  'It was rough here in Churriana de la Vega; I was asleep and went flying out of bed,' one person who lives 3km from the epicentre said.