A major pre-dawn earthquake struck in the Mediterranean today, sending people running into the streets in their pyjamas and causing concrete to fall from buildings.
The magnitude 6.3 tremor had its epicentre about 48 miles north-west of Melilla, a small Spanish city surrounded by Morocco and the sea, at about 5.22am local time (4.22am GMT).
The quake – followed by a 5.3-magnitude tremor – struck at a depth of 20 miles struck about 100 miles south-east of Malaga in Spain and almost 40 miles north of the Moroccan city of Al Hoceima.
Television images broadcast in Spain this morning showed chunks of concrete from apartment buildings on the ground, and residents running outside in their pyjamas following the quake.
Melilla official Isidro Gonzalez told Cadena Ser radio: ‘For the moment there has been only material damage and we haven’t detected any that is very serious. Some high buildings have cracks.’
In the area, emergency services said they had received more than 200 calls from people warning of damage to properties. Schools will remain shut today so buildings can be inspected.
Power was being restored to parts of Melilla where it had been cut. Emergency services in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia said they had received 250 calls from alarmed residents.
The tremors and aftershocks were felt throughout the region, including in the cities of Cordoba, Seville and Granada, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
Source:- Daily Mail
