Caribbean Sea hit by 7.6-magnitude earthquake, tsunami warnings issued
What's the story
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The epicenter was located some 209km south-southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands, at a depth of 10km.
The quake struck at 6:23pm local time and is the largest in the area since Haiti's 7.2 magnitude quake in 2021.
Warnings
Tsunami warnings issued for multiple regions
The US Tsunami Warning System had initially alerted over a dozen countries but later scaled back the warnings to three regions.
Authorities warned waves as high as 10 feet could hit some coastal areas of Cuba, while waves up to three feet were expected in Honduras and the Cayman Islands.
The Cayman Islands government advised coastal residents to move inland as a precautionary measure.
Evacuation advisories
Caribbean nations respond to tsunami threat
In Puerto Rico, the US National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory but did not recommend evacuations.
Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon confirmed communication with emergency agencies without advising immediate coastal evacuations.
The Dominican Republic government issued a tsunami alert advising residents near the coast to move at least 2km inland or to higher ground above 20 meters in elevation.
Ships were advised to avoid the sea for several hours.
Precautionary measures
Cuban and Honduran authorities urge caution
Cuban authorities also urged evacuations from beachfront areas, with NOAA forecasting tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above tide levels along some Cuban coastlines.
Honduran authorities reported no immediate damage but advised residents to avoid beaches in the coming hours.
NOAA estimated waves of up to 1 meter could affect parts of Honduras and the Cayman Islands's coasts.
Monitoring continues
No tsunami alert for mainland US, situation under close watch
The US National Tsunami Warning Center said there's no tsunami alert for mainland United States but issued advisories for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
The International Tsunami Information Center said "hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours along some coasts," including Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos.
There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.