String of mild quakes shake Spain's Granada area

A string of mild earthquakes shook southern Spain overnight following weeks of strong seismic activity in the Granada area, prompting the premier to call for calm on Wednesday.

Three of them had a magnitude of between 4 and 4.5, Spain's National Geographical Institute (IGN) said on Twitter.

"Various earthquakes shook Granada again overnight which has worried thousands of people. Please stay calm and follow the instructions of the emergency services," tweeted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Many images posted online showed residents out in the street in the middle of the night, wearing pyjamas and coats, despite the coronavirus curfew.

Since December 1, a total of 281 shallow quakes have hit the area around Granada, of which eight had a magnitude of more than 3.0, an IGN statement said on Tuesday.

Of that number, 41 were felt by the population.

Another quake on Saturday in the same area had a magnitude of 4.4, causing cracks in walls and throwing objects to the ground, it said.

"It's a worrying situation, I understand people's fears," Granada Mayor Luis Salvador told Spain's public television on Wednesday, calling for calm.

"All the information we have indicates that although they are many and continuous, that is what prevents a more intense and devastating episode."

The IGN said such seismic activity was "common in this area", flagging it as one of the most seismically active regions of the Iberian Peninsula which experiences "numerous surface earthquakes of low to moderate magnitude, and occasionally with significant intensity".