A magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Tuesday struck in the Caribbean between Jamaica and Cuba, triggering a brief tsunami alert and sending hundreds of people pouring onto the streets of Havana.
The tremors were felt as far as the US mainland, where police in Miami evacuated some buildings as a precaution.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit at a depth of 10km at 2:10pm — 125km northwest of Lucea, Jamaica.
Photo: AFP
It estimated there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage, and there were no immediate reports of either. Hours later, a magnitude 6.1 aftershock hit off the coast of the Cayman Islands, part of a cluster of more than a dozen aftershocks which were mainly in the magnitude 4-to-5 range and lasted well into the evening, the USGS said.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned there was a threat of tsunami waves reaching 0.3m to 1m above tide level for the coasts of Jamaica, Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and the Cayman Islands. However, it lifted the alert update about two hours later.
The first, bigger quake rattled several tall buildings in the Cuban capital, Havana, which were immediately evacuated.
The earthquake was felt in several provinces including Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba in the east, Cienfuegos in the center and Havana in the northwest, the official Cubadebate Web site reported.
There were no preliminary reports of damage or injuries.
“I felt the house trembling and realized that it was a quake,” Kingston, Jamaica, resident Jawara Rawjers said.
“It lasted about 20 seconds. I checked my watch and it was 2:12pm. I checked on my family, but they didn’t feel anything in their part of the house,” he added.
“I was on the second floor of a building and there was a sustained shaking of the building. I felt dizzy. The door was slamming consistently for a while,” Kingston doctor Machel Emanuel said.
Many Jamaicans took to social media in the immediate aftermath to post pictures, unverified, of swimming pools shaking violently.
In Miami, police said buildings were evacuated as a precaution after reports of tremors being felt in some areas of the city.
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