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Caribbean earthquake of 7.7 triggers tsunami warnings | Caribbean earthquake of 7.7 triggers tsunami warnings |
(32 minutes later) | |
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck in the Caribbean, prompting brief tsunami warnings for parts of the region, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Tuesday. | |
The quake hit between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said. | The quake hit between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said. |
Buildings shook and tremors were felt as far away as Miami, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. | Buildings shook and tremors were felt as far away as Miami, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. |
Warnings by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) were later withdrawn. | |
The PTWC initially said "hazardous tsunami waves" were possible for coasts located within 300km (186 miles) of the earthquake's epicentre. | |
This included parts of Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, it said. | |
But in an update at around 20:45 GMT, the PTWC said the "tsunami threat had now largely passed". | |
Seismologist Dr Lucy Jones tweeted: "The M7.7 Jamaican quake produced sideways motion on the fault, so the tsunami risk is low." | |
The epicentre of the quake, initially reported as magnitude-7.3 before being upgraded, was 125 km north-west of Lucea, Jamaica. | The epicentre of the quake, initially reported as magnitude-7.3 before being upgraded, was 125 km north-west of Lucea, Jamaica. |
Shaking has been reported in the Cuban capital, Havana, and in Kingston, Jamaica. | Shaking has been reported in the Cuban capital, Havana, and in Kingston, Jamaica. |
"I felt the house trembling and realised that it was a quake," Kingston resident Jawara Rawjers told AFP news agency. | |
Machel Emanuel, a doctor in the same city, 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." | |
In the Cayman Islands, a warning to "move away from coastal areas" was issued by the government but stood down a few hours later. | |
On Twitter, Cayman authorities said there were "only a few reports of structural damage to buildings" and shelters were being opened as a precaution. | |
Mikhail Campbell, a police media relations officer in the Cayman Islands, told Reuters news agency he was not immediately aware of any reports of serious damage. | Mikhail Campbell, a police media relations officer in the Cayman Islands, told Reuters news agency he was not immediately aware of any reports of serious damage. |