A powerful 7,6 magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean Sea, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, prompting tsunami warnings for a number of countries.
Authorities say the epicenter was about 32,1 miles (209,2 kilometers) north of Honduras and XNUMX miles (XNUMX kilometers) southwest of the Cayman Islands.
A number of tsunami warnings have been issued for the region, including the coasts of Colombia, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Cuba.
The National Weather Service initially issued a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but that warning was canceled about 45 minutes after it was issued.
"Although warnings have ended, strong and unusual currents may continue. Use caution and be careful near water," the National Tsunami Warning Center said.
But the Cayman Islands government warned residents they remained “under threat from a tsunami”.
The USGS said large earthquakes at this point of the plate boundary are not unexpected.
He said a magnitude 2018 earthquake occurred nearby in 7,5, causing some damage and a small tsunami. “Fortunately, the remote location of these earthquakes limits the possibility of significant damage from shaking,” he added.
Separately, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said there were no warnings for the US mainland coast.
