The Valley moves, earthquake 1884.
On December 25, 1884, there was a great earthquake that shook Malaga and Granada, causing great material damage and numerous victims. It is estimated that this earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2-6.5 on the Richter scale. The area of maximum intensity is located in the Sierra de Tejeda and Sierra Almijaras. Arenas del Rey was totally destroyed, it is estimated that the intensity will reach grade 10.
The earthquake also extends to the Lecrín Valley, being the town with the highest intensity Albuñuelas with 9 degrees, Béznar, Chite, Melegís, Murchas, Restábal, Saleres with 8 degrees. The depth of the earthquake is about 20 km, therefore a shallow focus, being the ones with the greatest intensity and destruction. One of the problems of earthquakes is the aftershocks, from December 25 to 26 there were about 20 and more than 40 in the first 10 days, the aftershocks continued throughout the year although of less intensity. To the misfortune of the earthquake we must add, for the greater misfortune of the inhabitants of the valley, a harsh winter of cold, snow and rain.
The time of an earthquake can be deduced by the time some clocks stop due to the shaking of the ground, the clock of the Astronomical Observatory of San Fernando (Cádiz) stopped at 8:43 p.m. so it is possible that this is the time.
The consequences of this earthquake were in the province of Granada 690 dead, 1,400 injured, 1,057 buildings destroyed and 4,170 buildings in ruins. Among the destroyed buildings is the Don Francisco Zayas mill in Nigüelas.
The newspaper El defender de Granada asked for help in the national press, there were donations from all over the world, which did not arrive on time, nor did they cover all the needs of the affected population, since there was no real knowledge of the disaster until days later. In 1885 the so-called Comisaria Regia was created, in charge of distributing funds among those affected, which was in operation for 32 months, Albuñuelas being the municipality of the valley that received the most funds with 346,900 pesetas, followed by Beznar with 75,700 pesetas, Nigüelas with 72,200 pesetas and the rest with smaller amounts.
If you want to visit the Lecrín Valley to get to know these wonderful corners, we have a wide variety of accommodation, beautiful rural houses and hotels to choose from; To eat there are different restaurants to choose from, and if what you are looking for is something different, our active tourism companies offer you all kinds of activities and sensations.
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