Washington, Feb 09, 2025, IANS

Washington, Feb 9 (IANS) A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck the Caribbean Sea, triggering tsunami warnings for multiple countries, US monitoring agencies reported. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.21 miles) on Saturday evening (local time), with its epicentre located about 130 miles (209 km) north of Honduras, near the Cayman Islands. The US Tsunami Warning System initially issued a tsunami alert for the Caribbean Sea and areas north of Honduras. While no tsunami threat was reported for the US Atlantic or Gulf Coast, advisories were issued for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that "hazardous tsunami waves" could affect coastal areas within 620 miles of the epicentre, including the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize, Haiti, Panama, and Guatemala. Later, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted tsunami waves between 1 to 3 meters above tide level along parts of Cuba's coast, while smaller waves of 0.3 to 1 meter were forecast for Honduras and the Cayman Islands. After initially issuing tsunami threats to more than a dozen nations, US agencies later cancelled most warnings but noted that "small sea level changes may occur." Meanwhile, several Caribbean nations, including Honduras, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands, issued evacuation warnings for residents in coastal areas. The Cayman Islands government urged residents near the coast to "move inland" as a precautionary measure. Authorities in the affected regions continue to assess the situation, with no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.