Quake jolts western Caribbean

A strong earthquake shook parts of Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands today. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 and was centred in the Caribbean Sea about 120km north-west of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 200km south-west of Bayamo, Cuba, according to the US Geological Survey in Colorado. It occurred just before 4pm local time (9pm Irish time).

Seismologists at the University of the West Indies measured the quake at a 5.3 magnitude.

Authorities in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands said no damages or injuries had been reported.

“We consider it a strong earthquake,” said USGS geophysicist Bruce Presgrave. “It’s enough off the coast that I would not expect any major damage. There’s a possibility of some minor damage.”

Presgrave said tremors were relatively common in the area, which lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates.