A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Puerto Rico at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, around 60 kilometers north of the town of San Antonio, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.
The earthquake was registered at 03:23 UTC on Tuesday. The USGS originally reported its magnitude as 6.3, but later reduced the number to 6.0. No tsunami warning has been issued yet. The closest residential area to the epicenter of the quake is San Antonio, a small town with a population of just over 2,000 people, and the municipality of Isabella in the northwestern part of the island.
Strong tremors were reported across the island, with terrified locals taking to social media to share firsthand accounts of the quake.
“I am still shaken to the core. It was very strong. I was really scared,” a netizen based in Aguadilla, a town on Puerto Rico’s northwestern tip, tweeted.
Witnesses reported hearing a “long sound like if it was thundering” before the jolts rattled the ground.
The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, with magnitudes of about 4.6 or greater.
While the quake appears to have sent many into panic, there have been no reports of casualties or serious material damage so far.
The island is prone to natural disasters, and is still reeling from the devastating September 2017 Hurricane Maria, which left a trail of destruction in its wake and displaced thousands. Many are still living in ramshackle houses with makeshifts roofs, with the Trump administration being blamed by some for its failure to meet the needs of those affected.
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