Earthquake with 6.1 magnitude hits offshore Cuba, shaking buildings in Havana

HAVANA (AP) — A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck near western Cuba on Monday, shaking buildings in Havana and beyond.

No injuries or damage were immediately reported.

The quake struck at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers) in waters just west of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Flavia Pupo, a manager at the Pinar del Río hotel, in Pinar del Rio, described how the building shook and caused some fear.

“Everyone here is OK,” she said by telephone. “The people on the street are a little bit scared.”

The latest earthquake was felt as far away as Florida. The National Weather Service in Miami said in a tweet that it received several reports of shaking in the southwestern part of the state.

Miami-Dade County officials announced that they were evacuating several buildings out of an abundance of caution, including the county’s main government office building, a 28-story high rise in downtown Miami.

Officials also temporarily suspended service for two elevated commuter train services that run through downtown. No injuries or major property damage have been reported.

The Oriente fault zone is located just off Cuba’s southeast coast and has unleashed damaging earthquakes in recent centuries, including a 7.7 magnitude quake in January 2020 in open waters that caused damage in Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america