The Murcia region was shaken by two earthquakes overnight into Wednesday. Both tremors had their epicenters southeast of Beniel and were felt by the local population. No damage or injuries have been reported so far.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
Two earthquakes occurred in the Murcia region within the span of a few hours during the night leading into Wednesday, September 30. The first quake was recorded at 2:04 a.m. and reached a magnitude of 3.1. A second tremor with a magnitude of 3.0 followed approximately four and a half hours later. Both epicenters were located southeast of the municipality of Beniel.
According to the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN), the first earthquake occurred at a depth of around three kilometers. The second earthquake took place at a depth of approximately six kilometers. The IGN recorded a maximum intensity of III for both events, although the ongoing analysis indicates an intensity of III–IV for the first earthquake.
13 emergency calls received
The tremors were felt in parts of the region. A total of 13 calls related to the two quakes were received by the regional emergency number 112.
Five people contacted emergency services after the first tremor. Another eight calls were received following the second quake. The reports came from locations including Murcia and Beniel. There were no reports of injuries or property damage.
According to the authorities’ current assessment, there are no indications of major impacts. Although the two earthquakes were clearly felt, their consequences remained limited.
Second earthquake early in the morning
The second tremor occurred at 6:31 a.m. The IGN recorded a magnitude of 3.0 and a depth of six kilometers. This quake was also assigned a maximum intensity of III.
The fact that both earthquakes occurred relatively close to each other attracted attention in the region. However, authorities have not reported any unusual hazard situation so far.
The earth shook five days ago
Moreover, the two recent tremors are part of a period of heightened seismic activity in the same area. A stronger earthquake had occurred southeast of Beniel as recently as September 25.
It reached a magnitude of 3.5 and occurred at a depth of approximately eight kilometers. At that time, too, the quake was felt in several municipalities as well as in the city of Murcia. The 112 emergency service received around 35 reports. No injuries or major property damage were reported.
On September 26, the IGN also recorded another, significantly weaker tremor with a magnitude of 1.6 southeast of Beniel. Thus, several earthquakes were recorded in the same region within a few days.
Murcia is one of Spain’s seismically active regions
Southeastern Spain is one of the country’s regions with comparatively high seismic activity. Consequently, Murcia has specialized emergency and monitoring systems in place for earthquakes.
This became apparent immediately after the earthquake on September 25: the regional government activated the Sismimur plan at the lowest monitoring level. This involves continuously monitoring seismic data and assessing potential impacts.
However, the current tremors are nowhere near the intensity of the severe 2011 earthquake in Lorca, which had a magnitude of 5.1 and claimed nine lives. Hundreds of other people were injured at the time, and numerous buildings were damaged.
No damage reported
Despite the repeated tremors, there are currently no reports of major damage. According to emergency services, no injuries or property damage were reported following either the first or the second quake.
At the same time, the IGN points out that the data on current earthquakes may still be adjusted due to ongoing seismological analysis.
For the population of Murcia, the most notable aspect remains the unusual clustering of tremors within just a few days: following the magnitude 3.5 quake last Friday, two further perceptible tremors with magnitudes of 3.1 and 3.0 have now occurred.
