Off the wire
• China wants better infrastructure, public services in rural areas: document  • China ready to see greater advance in Sino-Russian ties: Spokesperson  • 126 charging stations to be built in Tongzhou in 5 years  • 1st LD: Campaign returns 857 fugitives to China  • Murray, Raonic to face-off in Australian Open semi-final after four set wins  • Indian gov't to look into incident of fake police encounter with rebels in northeast state  • Chinese players all out of Australian Open  • China Exclusive: Anti-drug pacts resurrects China's border villages  • (Sports Focus) Top Chinese footballers 100 times more expensive after 20 years, bubbles feared  • China to boost employment, migration of rural workers  
You are here: 　 Home

Earthquake measuring 4.7 shakes south of Spain

Xinhua, January 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

A second earthquake, this time measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale, was felt in the south of Spain and the Spanish north-African enclave of Melilla on Wednesday morning.

It had been preceded by smaller quakes during the night measuring 3.6 and 3.1 on the Richter Scale.

The quake, which once again had its epicenter in the Sea of Alboran, an area in the west of the Mediterranean which divides Spain from Morocco, came just two days after a bigger quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale left 26 people injured and caused damage estimated at around 12 million euros (13 million US dollars) in Melilla.

Wednesday's quake, which was also felt in the Malaga area, is the latest in a series of aftershocks which have come in the wake of Monday's quake, although it did cause nerves among the local population. There are no reports of either injuries or further damage having been caused.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government delegate has asked for the population of Melilla to remain calm as more seismic activity is likely.

The region separating Spain and North Africa sits on the divide between the Eurasian and African plates and is an area prone to low-level activity of this kind. The most important recent event was the May 2011 earthquake which caused nine deaths in the Spanish town of Lorca. Endit