5.5 magnitude earthquake jolts southern Spain
A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern Spain this morning, with tremors felt across popular coastal regions such as Costa del Sol and Alicante.
Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN) registered the quake shortly after 7am local time on Monday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
It struck at a depth of almost two miles below sea level, off the coast of Almería.
The impact was mainly felt in Granada, Malaga, Jaen, as well as in the eastern provinces of Murcia, Alicante and Albacete.
Elsewhere in Spain, severe storm and hail warnings have been issued leaving cars submerged and a hospital evacuated.
At least 71 people fled Penedès Regional Hospital, south west of Barcelona, as streets across Catalonia turned to rivers following flash floods on Saturday.
Health minister Olga Pané told Catalan News: “We have decided to evacuate and transfer the 71 patients to the hospitals of Sant Camil, Bellvitge, Igualada, Sant Boi, and Viladecans.”
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has activated weather warnings for 25 provinces, with eight orange cautions.
The weather agency has warned tourists and locals to brace for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
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