On Saturday night, a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the Caribbean north of Honduras and southwestern part of the Cayman Islands temporarily triggered a tsunami alert that was lifted later.
The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake occurred around 6:23pm east time, about 129 miles southwest of Georgetown, the capital of the Cayman Islands, and 372 miles west of Kingston, Jamaica.
USGS
After some time, the US National Tsunami Warning Center issued tsunami recommendations for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. The recommendations for these islands were later cancelled.
The warning center also reported what was called the “tsunami threat” in Cuba, Honduras and the Cayman Islands. However, the region announced that “the tsunami threat has been passed based on the latest modeling and information.”
No continental US alerts have been issued
Amidst the uncertainty following the earthquake, local governments in the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico have warned residents to stay away from the water.
“While safety measures are not expected to cause any impactful events as no one should be in the water until there is more notice, it is important to follow official information and avoid spreading rumors.”
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Force told CBS News that there were no reports of damage caused by the earthquake itself.
Late Saturday night, at least 326 people reported feeling shaking from the USGS.
