An estimated magnitude 5.9 earthquake has rocked several countries across the Caribbean, including The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Haiti, the United States Minor Outlying Islands, and Cuba, shaking communities and prompting emergency assessments.
The earthquake occurred in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba’s Santiago de Cuba Province, at around 01:00 Dec. 23. The epicenter was about 37 km (23 miles) south of Guisa, Cuba.
The tremor occurred at a depth of around 22 km (14 miles), and moderate-to-strong shaking was probably felt in parts of Santiago de Cuba and Granma provinces in eastern Cuba near the epicenter, with light-to-moderate shaking felt elsewhere in eastern Cuba; light shaking may have also been felt in parts of Jamaica.
Damage and casualties are possible, especially in areas near the epicenter. It could take several hours for authorities to conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are likely over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.
Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake’s epicenter.
