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Spain earthquake: Everything we know about the tremor which rocked tourist hotspot
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 hit southern Spain on Monday morning.
People in more than 50 towns, including tourist hotspot Malaga, could feel the quake.
"I was sleeping, and the whole house shook for a few seconds," a tourist in Agua Amarga in Almeria told Spanish newspaper El País.
"There was an incredible roar. It woke up my entire family and our neighbours in the complex."
🌍 SHAKEN AWAKE: 5.2 EARTHQUAKE NEAR ALMERÍA, SPAIN 🌍Good morning everyone,This morning started with more than just a coffee jolt for parts of southeastern Spain, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck off the coast near Almería, with the epicentre located in the Mediterranean…
— Kernow Weather Team (@KWTWeather) July 14, 2025
The earthquake follows a weekend of severe floods and thunderstorms in Spain.
Footage shared on social media showed streets turned into rivers, with floodwater swamping shopfronts and restaurants.
Health minister Olga Pané said to Catalan News: 'We have decided to evacuate and transfer the 71 patients to the hospitals of Sant Camil, Bellvitge, Igualada, Sant Boi, and Viladecans.'
Weather warnings have been activated for 25 provinces, as the country prepares for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
Here's everything we know about the earthquake so far:
The earthquake was recorded by Spain's National Geographic at 7.13am on Monday.
The earthquake struck off the coast of Almería, southeast Spain, almost two miles below sea level.
The impact was felt in more than 50 towns across seven provinces, most intensely in 17 municipalities in Almeria and parts of North Africa, according to local reports.
#Earthquake (#terremoto) possibly felt 36 sec ago in #Spain. Felt it? Tell us via:📱 Automatic crowdsourced detection, not seismically verified yet. More info soon!
— EMSC (@LastQuake) July 14, 2025
Malaga was hit the hardest, and areas such as Granada, Jaen, Murcia, Alicante and Albacete were also affected.
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. However, because this earthquake did not hit land, the destruction has been less severe.
Earthquakes under 6.0 rarely cause serious damage to well-built structures.
Andalusia emergency services received 25 calls from the public, according to El País. However, no injuries have been reported so far.
Still, buildings have been damaged across the region. Almeria's airport ceiling collapsed, causing tiles to hang from the ceiling in a cafe in the departures lounge.
A worker told local news: 'We heard some noises one after the other and then a loud bang and a great cloud of dust appeared.
'It was a real scare for us.
'There were airport workers having their first coffee of the day but luckily no one was injured.'
Meanwhile, the ceiling of a Toyota showroom in Huercal de Almeria was also damaged by the earthquake.
The UK Foreign Office has not activated travel warnings for Spain following the floods or earthquake.
However, it suggests that travellers should 'check weather warnings from Spain's meteorological office (AEMET) before travel and follow the advice of the local authorities.'
