Back-to-Back Earthquakes Strike Cuba: No Tsunami Alert but Strong Tremors Felt Across Island
Back-to-Back Earthquakes Strike Cuba: On Sunday, two significant earthquakes rattled southern Cuba within just an hour, as reported by US Geological Survey (USGS) data. The first tremor, a 5.9 magnitude quake, struck roughly 22 miles off the coast of Bartolome Maso in Granma province, with an epicenter nine miles beneath the ocean. Just an hour later, the second and stronger earthquake—measuring 6.8 magnitude and located 14.6 miles deep—shook the same region, intensifying concerns among residents.
While no tsunami warning was issued, the tremors were widely felt across Cuba, prompting citizens to quickly take to the streets. In Santiago de Cuba, retiree Andres Perez shared his experience: “The ground moved very strongly… It felt very strong really, my wife is a bundle of nerves.”
The tremors come as Cuba still reels from the impact of Hurricane Rafael, a Category 3 storm that struck the western part of the island recently, leaving widespread power outages. These recent quakes add to a history of seismic activity in the region, including a 5.1 magnitude tremor in October 2023 and a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in January 2020 that led to evacuations in Havana. Despite the powerful tremors, no fatalities or immediate damage were reported, though the impacts were deeply felt by locals.
