Cuba experienced two consecutive earthquakes within just one hour, causing buildings to shake and prompting many residents to rush into the streets on November 10 (local time).
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the second earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.8, with an epicenter located 23.5 km deep, approximately 40 km off the coast of Bartolomé Masó in the southern Granma province.
Epicenter of the earthquake on November 10. (Graphic: New York Times)
The earthquake struck just one hour after the first tremor, which was recorded by USGS at a magnitude of approximately 5.9, with its epicenter located 14.5 km below the ocean surface, about 35.5 km from Bartolomé Masó.
“Landslides have occurred, causing damage to homes and power lines,” stated Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel on X. “We are assessing the damage… The first and foremost priority right now is to save lives.”
Many residents flooded the streets after the two consecutive earthquakes in southern Cuba. (Photo: ACN)
In a phone interview with Reuters, several local residents reported that they had never experienced an earthquake this strong before.
“The houses and buildings shook violently, and dishes, glasses, and vases fell off the shelves,” shared a resident named Griselda Fernandez from Santiago.
Many older homes and buildings in the area sustained damage or collapsed due to the earthquakes. Some images showed structural damage to ceilings, walls, and public infrastructure.
The state newspaper Granma reported that there were no immediate reports of fatalities, but the earthquake caused tremors across the Caribbean island nation.
This seismic event comes as Cuba is recovering from Hurricane Rafael, which recently struck the western part of the island, leaving 10 million households without power for two days.
