Popular tourist hotspot rocked by ‘strongest earthquake in 60 years’ as 3.8 tremor terrifies holidaymakers
A POPULAR tourist hotspot favoured by Brits has been hit by its strongest earthquake in 60 years.
Holidaymakers in Gran Canaria were left terrified after the region was rumbled by the seismic tremor at 7.20pm local time tonight, measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale.
The shaking was felt in 14 of the Canary island's 21 municipalities, with seismologists calling it the fiercest in 60 years.
Itahiza Dominguez, the Canary Islands Director for the National Geographic Institute, told media it was the strongest earthquake detected in Gran Canaria in at least 60 years.
Its epicentre was Santa Maria de Guia in the north of the island, although subsequent reports described it as being around 13 miles off its north-west coast.
The earthquake is understood to have occurred at a depth of 12.5 miles under the earth's surface.
But there were no immediate reports of any casualties or structural damage.
Tuesday's earthquake was initially recorded as measuring 4.1, before being revised.
However, aftershocks have not been ruled out.
A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre confirmed: "An earthquake has been registered in the north coast of Gran Canaria that has been felt in 14 of the island's 21 municipalities.
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"Several 999 calls have been received. There are no reports of any casualties or major incidents at this time."