An earthquake has struck off the coast of Almeria and caused noticeable shaking in at least 16 towns.

The magnitude 2.8 tremor was recorded at 10.23pm on Tuesday, September 29, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN).

Preliminary data placed its epicentre in the Mediterranean Sea, less than one kilometre from the port of Garrucha and near to Mojacar and other seaside towns popular with the expat community.

‘Well, we just had an earthquake in Mojacar!’, one resident wrote on X.

Another said: ‘Wow, it was felt so strongly’, while another agreed: ‘That was really notable.’

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of approximately three kilometres, helping explain why it was clearly felt despite its relatively low magnitude.

No injuries or property damage have been reported.

The strongest reports came from Cuevas del Almanzora, where the earthquake reached a maximum intensity of IV.

The IGN classifies this level as ‘widely observed’, meaning the shaking would have been noticed by many people indoors and may have caused windows, doors or household objects to rattle.

An intensity of between III and IV was recorded in Las Marinas de Vera Playa.

Residents also reported feeling the tremor in Garrucha, Mojacar, Vera, Turre, Bedar, Lubrin and Los Gallardos.

Other affected locations included Palomares, Burjulu, Huerta Nueva, La Media Legua, Valle del Este, Alfaix, Pueblo Salinas and Vista de los Angeles-Rumina.

The tremor comes less than two months after a stronger magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck near Zurgena on August 13.

That earthquake was recorded at 8.53pm to the southeast of the municipality, near the area known as La Ballabona.

More than a dozen aftershocks followed during the subsequent hours.