A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Haiti this Saturday morning, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor was felt across the country and material damage is already being registered in the cities of. Jérémie and Los Cayos, on the southwestern peninsula of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican RepublicAccording to eyewitness images, the news agency reported AFP.
The earthquake, which occurred at 8:30 am local time (9:30 am in Argentina), was recorded around 12 kilometers from the city of Saint-Louis du Sud, and its hypocenter was 10 kilometers deep, according to the USGS report.
The institute also issued a red alert due to the possibility that the earthquake had left a large number of victims., said the news agency Europe Press.
Minutes after the earthquake, a aftershock of magnitude 5.2 was recorded 17 kilometers from the city of Chantal, again with a hypocenter 10 kilometers deep. According to the local portal Haiti Gazette, the earthquake was felt for several seconds in the Caribbean country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, which is about 130 kilometers from the epicenter.
At present, no tsunami warnings have been issued.
“Everyone is very scared. It’s been years since there was such a big earthquake”said Daniel Ross, a resident of the city of Guantanamo in eastern Cuba, adding that his home remained secure but the furniture shook, according to the agency. Reuters.
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