Madeira earthquake: Popular tourist islands struck by 5.1 magnitude tremor

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 has struck the popular tourist islands of Madeira in Portugal.

The quake was at a depth of 3km (18.64 miles) and hit near the capital Funchal, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

It struck at 4.32am local time and shaking was felt up to 40km away by about 207,000 people in total, the EMSC added.

People living in the area reported being woken up as their bedrooms were shaken by the force of the earthquake.

The EMSC warned aftershocks could occur in the next hours or days and advised people to stay away from damaged areas for their safety.

One person wrote on Twitter: “Woke up at 4:30 because the building was shaking. It didn’t feel too strong here and lasted about 10 seconds.

“I didn’t know Madeira could get this strong earthquakes.”

Another reported waking up to their bed and door shaking, while one person said: “Quite strong for what we usually feel in Madeira. It certainly woke us up.”

The earthquake was initially reported as being 6.1 magnitude before it was later downgraded.

According to VolcanoDiscovery.com, shallow earthquakes such as this one are felt more strongly than deeper ones because they are closer to the surface.

“Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicentre,” the website stated.

“It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.”