A strong earthquake hit the west of Cuba, including Havana, forcing people into the streets. The tremors lasted 20 seconds and, according to geologists, reached a magnitude of 6.1.
A strong earthquake hit the west coast of Cuba, including the capital, on Monday. AFP journalists in Havana reported on the 20-second tremors that drove Cubans out of buildings and into the streets, writes TASR.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake at a depth of ten kilometers had a magnitude of 6.1 and the epicenter was about 100 kilometers from the western tip of the island.
The tremors were felt as far away as Florida
“At first I just felt dizzy. It didn’t occur to me that it could be an earthquake, I’ve never experienced it before,” 47-year-old economist Carmel Delgado told AFP.
Cuban authorities said that tremors were felt “all over the west of the country” and, according to AFP reporters, even as far as the US state of Florida. According to the AP agency, information about possible injuries or material damage was not immediately known.
The Oriente fault zone is located just off the southeastern coast of Cuba and has caused devastating earthquakes in past centuries. These include the January 2020 magnitude 7.7 earthquake in open waters that caused damage in Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
