Laurence Dollimore
THE government of Andalucia has sent mobile phone alerts to thousands of locals after an earthquake struck this morning.
The quake had a magnitude of 4.1 and its epicentre was in the town of Cazalla de la Sierra in Sevilla, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
Tremors were felt in almost 200 towns across the provinces of Sevilla, Huelva, Cordoba and Badajoz.
The IGN said the quake struck at around 3.29am on Thursday, at a depth of 10km.
The mayor of Cazalla de la Sierra, Adrian Torres, claimed the earthquake ‘has been felt quite a bit’ in the town.
He said the shaking was noticeable for ‘around 10 to 12 seconds’, which ‘terrified’ locals, claiming some saw their ‘furniture moving’.
He told Canal Sur radio that there were no reports of material or personal damagae so far.
The mayor added that the event only happens ‘once every few decades because this is not an area with significant and continuous seismic activity.’
It comes after a magnitude-five earthquake in Lisbon on February 17 was felt in towns in southern Spain, including Sevilla.
And on February 10, a 4.9-magnitude quake was recorded in Morocco and was also felt in parts of Andalucia.
