A magnitude 3.5 earthquake shook Murcia and parts of neighbouring Alicante on Friday morning, sparking dozens of emergency calls and the evacuation of several schools.

The tremor struck at 11.04am with its epicentre near Beniel, close to the border between the two regions.

The National Geographic Institute placed the earthquake at a depth of approximately six kilometres.

The shaking lasted only a few seconds but was felt across a wide area, including Murcia city, Cartagena, San Javier, Mazarron, Molina de Segura, Alcantarilla, Fortuna and Santomera.

Residents also reported feeling the tremor in the Alicante municipalities of Orihuela, Torrevieja, Bigastro and Callosa de Segura.

Murcia’s 112 emergency service received 35 calls following the earthquake, although no personal injuries or material damage were reported.

‘The whole building moved,’ one resident said.

Another added: ‘My house shook for a moment and I heard the glasses clinking.’

Pupils at La Basilica secondary school in Algezares rushed into the playground after feeling the building move.

The school and several other educational centres subsequently activated their earthquake-response procedures.

Around an hour after the tremor, Murcia’s regional government activated the Sismimur emergency plan at phase zero.

This level intensifies monitoring and public information following an earthquake but does not require the full deployment of emergency resources because there were no reported casualties or significant damage.