Gran Canaria hit by largest earthquake in decades | World | News
Gran Canaria was hit on Tuesday evening by one of the strongest earthquakes in the area in decades.
A 3.9-magnitude tremor was recorded at 7.20pm local time (6.20pm BST), as reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
The tremor hit at a shallow depth of 20.5km beneath the epicentre near Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Volcanodiscovery reports.
The quake had initially been listed as magnitude 4.1. The National Geographic Institute (IGN) in the Canary Islands recorded it as a 3.8-magnitude quake.
The earthquake is believed to have been the largest detected on this Canary island for the past six decades, as reported by local news outlet Canarias7.
The news outlet added the tremor was felt “across almost half the island”.
The intensity of the earthquake meant it was felt by many locals and tourists, with some scared residents calling the Canary Islands Emergency Coordination Centre 112.
However, there were no immediate reports of material damage.
Gran Canaria is a destination particularly loved by British tourists.
In 2022, the UK was the most popular country of origin among holidaymakers who reached the island by air and stayed for at least one night.
Of the nearly 3.8 million visitors, more than 779,000 were British nationals, according to data by the Promotur Turismo Canarias and Instituto Canario de Estadística.
