A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck the province of Granada.

The tremor arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning, jolting thousands of residents from their beds and causing damage to multiple buildings.

The quake struck at 1.04am and lasted for around six seconds, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN).

Its epicentre was recorded in the municipality of Alhendin, at a depth of around 5km.

It was felt across a wide area of Andalucia, with reports collected by the IGN coming from as far afield as Marbella on the Costa del Sol and Roquetas de Mar in Almeria.

Residents in Jaen city, Velez de Benaudalla and other parts of the region also reported feeling the shaking, while some people said they felt it as far away as Sevilla.

In Granada and across the metropolitan area, the shaking was strong enough to send residents rushing from their homes and onto balconies and streets to check that everything was safe.

People reported furniture moving, cracks appearing in homes and car alarms being triggered as the earthquake rattled buildings.

The first major tremor was accompanied by the sound of glass colliding and buildings creaking.

It was not the only earthquake recorded.

Around a dozen tremors were registered during the day on Friday, with another noticeable earthquake measuring 3.7 striking at 6.39pm, with its epicentre in La Zubia.

Further, weaker tremors were subsequently recorded at different points around the Granada seismic belt.

Sirens could be heard repeatedly through the early hours as emergency crews responded to calls to the 112 emergency number.

Damage reported in Granada city

The strongest tremor caused damage and falling debris at the Church of La Magdalena on central Puentezuelas street.

A gargoyle also fell from the façade of the Padre Suarez Institute, in the heart of the city, according to Granada Local Police spokesman Francisco Padilla.

He said numerous residents had taken to the streets fearing further tremors.

There were no reports of personal injuries in the information provided.

Social media users also reported fallen sections of cornice in parts of the Albaicín, including around Santa Isabel la Real and the Church of San Miguel Bajo.

In Las Gabias, mayor Maria Merinda Sadaba was heading to a building to assess whether it needed to be evacuated.

She was accompanied by Civil Protection personnel and municipal planning technicians, according to Eduardo Martos, head of the Emergency Department at Granada Provincial Council.

Falling façade material was also reported in Armilla and Churriana, with some debris hitting vehicles parked on public roads.

The electricity supply was also cut across the urban area of Huetor Vega.

Emergency telephone services received dozens of calls from frightened residents, including people calling from outside Granada province.

Andalucia activates seismic emergency plan

Andalucia’s regional government activated its Emergency Plan for Seismic Risk at emergency phase, operational situation 1.

The move was ordered by regional emergencies minister Antonio Sanz.

The 112 emergency service handled more than 200 calls.

Reports came from Alhendin, Churriana de la Vega, Ogíjares, Padul, Almuñecar, Gojar, Dilar, Guadix, La Zubia, Pinos Puente, Granada, Armilla, Motril and Cenes, among other locations.

Calls were also received from Almeria, Sevilla and Malaga city, as well as towns including Torrox, Velez-Málaga, Fuengirola, Algarrobo and Rincón de la Victoria.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.