Earthquake shakes Strait of Gibraltar communities

An earthquake located 102 miles east of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea shook communities on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar at 5.22am yesterday morning.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was about 48 miles north-west of Melilla, Spain’s north African enclave.

The pre-dawn earthquake sent people in Melilla running into the streets and caused power cuts and damage to buildings.

Emergency services in Andalucia said in a statement on their Twitter feed they had received 250 calls from alarmed residents.

The tremors and aftershocks were felt throughout the region, including in the cities of Malaga, Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

In Melilla, emergency services said they had received more than 200 calls from people warning of damage to properties. Schools remained shut yesterday so buildings could be inspected.

The earthquake was felt in Gibraltar but the Gibraltar Government confirmed that no damage was suffered here as a result of the quake.

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