Airport roof collapses as Spain hit by powerful earthquake

Spain has been rocked by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake conscionable hours aft the state was devastated by flash flooding and dense rain.

The earthquake deed confederate Spain, including fashionable tourer hotspots Costa del Sol and Alicante aboriginal connected Monday morning.

Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN) recorded the quake disconnected Cabo De Gata connected the Almeria seashore astatine 7.13am section time. Cabo De Gata is the largest protected coastal country successful the Andalusia region.

At its maximum strength the earthquake reached IV-V, oregon mean to strong, connected the European Macroseismic Scale, which has 9 levels, according to the IGN.

Eighteen aftershocks person been recorded truthful acold with the largest measuring 3.4 successful magnitude and occurring conscionable 5 minutes aft the main earthquake, according to the latest IGN report.

The main earthquake struck astir 19 miles disconnected the seashore astatine a extent of astir 2 miles beneath oversea level and was felt successful hundreds of towns and villages crossed Andalusia and the country’s Levante region, according to the IGN and section media.

In Almeria, an airdrome extortion collapsed aft the quake rattled hundreds of towns, with a car showroom besides damaged by the tremors.

Almeria airdrome extortion damaged by the earthquake (SOLARPIX.COM)

An airdrome idiosyncratic told section media: “We heard immoderate noises 1 aft the different and past a large bang and a large unreality of particulate appeared.

“It was a existent scare for us. There were airdrome workers having their archetypal java of the time but luckily nary 1 was injured.”

Spanish paper El País reported that Granada, Malaga and Jaen, on with Murcia, Alicante and Albacete successful the east, were among the hardest-hit areas.

In Huercal de Almeria, a Toyota showroom was damaged. A representation showed the ceiling caved successful arsenic it was taped off.

The quake came conscionable a time aft torrential rainfall brought chaos to streets, businesses and vacation plans crossed overmuch of northeastern Spain.

Spain’s upwind forecaster AEMET issued terrible tempest warnings for Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.

The earthquake deed confederate Spain, including fashionable tourer hotspots Costa del Sol and Alicante, astatine astir 7am connected Monday (USGS)

Near Barcelona, 71 patients were forced to evacuate Penedès Regional Hospital arsenic streets crossed Catalonia turned to rivers pursuing flash floods connected Saturday.

In Cubelles, a municipality 30 miles from Barcelona, a witnesser claimed to person seen a pistillate and kid swept distant by floodwater aft they fell into the swollen Foix river.

Firefighters rushed to searched the stream overnight, with underwater units, helicopters and drone teams scouring the area.

At slightest 155mm of rainfall fell successful Barcelona connected Saturday successful conscionable 2 oregon 3 hours, according to AEMET. In Navarra, 97mm of rainfall was recorded. Heavy rainfall was besides recorded successful Zaragoza and Girona.

The earthquake came conscionable a time aft Spain was battered by dense rainfall and flash flooding (Catalonia Firefighters)

Footage showed vehicles trapped nether murky water, with immoderate vehicles swept distant by rivers flowing down streets.

One video captured cars drifting on the swollen El Cardener stream aft it burst its banks, portion others were seen wholly submerged.

Rosa Montserrat Fonoll, politician of Cubelles, said: “I’ve ne'er seen thing similar this successful Cubelles”. She added that 200 cubic meters per 2nd flowed done the town.