Photo credit: Los Angeles Times
A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the Caribbean Sea Saturday night, north of Honduras and southwest of the Cayman Islands, triggered what officials called a “tsunami threat” for Cuba, Honduras, and the Cayman Islands.
CBC News reports that the US Geological Survey revealed the earthquake occurred at around 6:23 p.m. Eastern Time with an epicentre about 129 miles southwest of George Town, the capital of the Cayman Islands, and 372 miles west of Kingston, Jamaica.
A short while later, the US National Tsunami Warning Centre issued an advisory for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
However, the advisory for those islands was later cancelled.
But a “tsunami threat” continued in Cuba, Honduras and the Cayman Islands, the warning centre said.
“A Tsunami Threat continues for Cuba, where a tsunami may reach 1 to 3 meters above the tide, and Honduras and the Cayman Islands, where a tsunami may reach up to 0.3 to 1 meter above the tide,” the warning centre wrote on social media just before 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Thankfully, no alerts were issued for the mainland US.
Local authorities in the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico warned residents to stay out of the water for the time being.
“Although a high-impact event is not anticipated, as a safety measure no one should be in the water until further notice. It is important to follow official information and avoid the spread of rumours,” Puerto Rico Seismic Network director Angel Vazquez explained.
There have been no reports of damage from the earthquake itself, according to the Royal Cayman Islands Police.
