Residents in southern Spain have been told to be on alert for aftershocks following the 5.5 magnitude earthquake on Monday morning.
It comes as a series of tsunami alerts have been deactivated following the 7.13am tremor in Cabo de Palos.
The epicentre was just 32km from the coast of Almeria, and, according to experts, its location at sea proved crucial in avoiding significant material damage.
However, the earthquake was still felt in more than 50 towns, with many people reporting shaking or their homes ‘vibrating.’
The seismic movement reached a maximum intensity level of IV on the EMS scale, indicating a shaking ‘clearly felt by the population.’
The National Geographic Institute (ING) said the shaking was mostly felt in the Almeria towns of Albox, Huércal-Overa, Garrucha, Pechina, and several districts of Cuevas del Almanzora and Mojácar.
They were also witnessed in Murcia, Granada, Melilla, and even in parts of Alicante and Jaen, in towns such as Cartagena, Lorca, Roquetas de Mar, Almería city, Vera, Níjar, Motril and Murcia.
The earthquake occurred in an area of high seismic activity, located on the border between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.
According to expert Francisco Garcia, of the Polytechnic University, the earthquake was not big enough to generate a tsunami.
However, if the epicentre had been on land and not at sea, ‘we would be talking about significant material damage’, he told Cadena Ser.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismology Centre has warned that aftershocks may occur in the coming hours and days, and urged the public to exercise caution.
Due to the intensity of the earthquake, the ING issued a tsunami warning for several provinces, including Alicante, Melilla, Almería, Murcia, Granada, Málaga, and Ceuta.
A moderate tsunami warning had also been issued for Valencia and Castellón, as well as for Cádiz, the Balearic Islands, Tarragona, Barcelona, and Girona. They have all since been deactivated.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
