Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister, calls for calm -

Ballesteros / EFE / SIPA

The region of Granada (southern Spain) was affected by several earthquakes overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, without causing injuries or significant material damage but leading the Prime Minister to appeal for calm.

“Several tremors made Granada tremble again last night.

I understand the concern of thousands of people.

Now is the time to keep calm and follow the directions of the emergency services, ”Pedro Sanchez tweeted overnight.

300 tremors since December

Several images posted on social networks showed residents having put on coats over their pajamas, going out in the middle of the night in the street, despite the curfew in place because of the pandemic.

According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the three tremors felt this Tuesday evening in Granada and its surroundings were of a magnitude between 4 and 4.5.

On Saturday, a shock of 4.4 was felt in Atarfe and Santa Fe, about ten kilometers away.

Since the beginning of December, nearly 300 tremors have occurred in the region, according to the institute, of which forty have been felt by the population.

“Usual” seismicity for the region

Only some damage was noted after the shock on Saturday, such as cracks on the plaster or falling objects (books, dishes) at the epicenter, notes the institute.

But this "seismicity is usual" in the region, continues the IGN, "in particular inside the central zone of the Betic Cordilleras", mountainous mass of the south of Spain, which has the most important seismic activity of the Iberian Peninsula, due to "the convergence between the African and Eurasian plate".

"The surface tremors of low magnitude to moderate magnitude" are numerous there but others present "occasionally a significant intensity", he adds.

Evoking a situation that is certainly "worrying" and saying "understand the fear of the population", the mayor of Granada Luis Salvador called this Wednesday morning for "calm", because these "repeated tremors (...) prevent an earthquake more intense and devastating, ”he said on Spanish national television.

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