Earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in the Caribbean sea last night

 

An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 that struck in the Caribbean sea last night was felt across northern Central America, briefly prompting a tsunami warning for disaster-hit Puerto Rico as well as the British and US Virgin Islands.

 

The earthquake occurred west of  Jamaica at a depth of  6.2 miles. The US Geological Survey said the quake was very shallow which would have amplified its effect. The US Tsunami Warning Centre said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 621 miles of the quake's epicentre.

 

This included some coastal areas of  Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Cayman Islands, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

 

The National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said smaller changes in sea levels are possible for other areas in the Caribbean, including Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras and Cayman Islands.

 

Major Clive Davis, Director-General of  Jamaica's Office of  Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)  told RJR News that all relevant state agencies and municipal corporations were alerted. He later reported that the threat had been downgraded.

 

The US Tsunami Center cancelled the alert but warned some parts of  Honduras and Belize were still at risk from waves of up to a metre. In Honduras, firefighters said some residents in southern neighbourhoods fled their homes after feeling the tremors. There were no reports of damage.

 

It was lightly felt in Belize's capital, Belize City, but did not prompt immediate reports of damage.  Belize's minister in charge of emergency management, Edmond Castro, spoke on local radio to urge people living in low lying coastal areas and islands to stay alert for potentially dangerous waves.