Earthquake rocks Canary isle

An earthquake shook the Canary island of El Hierro today. No injuries or serious damage were reported.

The tremor from the 4.2 magnitude quake was felt across the 107-square-mile island where it rattled buildings and frightened locals.

“There was a loud booming noise as if a bomb had gone off, and then my house shook for a moment,” said Blanca Rios, who works in the capital Frontera.

Earthquakes are not unusual in the Canary Islands, a chain of seven volcanic isles off the north-west coast of Africa which belong to Spain. Most are recorded on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

El Hierro (population 7,800) is the smallest and westernmost of the islands and has recorded regular small earthquakes since records began in 1793.