A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude struck off the coast of western Cuba on Monday, shaking buildings in Havana and across the island’s west, prompting residents to leave homes and offices, but causing no immediate reports of injuries, damage or tsunami threats, according to Cuban and US authorities.The quake struck in waters off Cuba’s western tip at a depth of about 10 kilometres (six miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Its epicentre was located about 104 kilometres west-northwest of Mantua. The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) reported the tremor at magnitude 6.0 and also placed its depth at 10 kilometres.The tremor was widely felt across western Cuba, with AFP journalists in Havana reporting around 20 seconds of shaking that sent people into the streets. Cuban authorities said the earthquake was felt “throughout the entire west of the country”.Residents described moments of confusion and alarm as the shaking began.“At first I just felt dizzy — it didn’t occur to me it was an earthquake, I’d never experienced that before,” Carmel Delgado, a 47-year-old economist, told AFP.“But once we realized what it could be, we got out quickly.”Flavia Pupo, a manager at the Pinar del Río hotel in Pinar del Río province, said the building shook and frightened some people.“Everyone here is OK,” she said by telephone. “The people on the street are a little bit scared.”The earthquake was also felt beyond Cuba. The US National Weather Service office in Miami said it received several reports of shaking in south-western Florida following the tremor.Despite the strength of the quake, authorities reported no immediate casualties or significant damage. The US National Weather Service said no tsunami warning or watch had been issued.Cuba lies in a seismically active region. The Oriente fault zone, located off the country’s south-eastern coast, has produced several damaging earthquakes over the centuries. In January 2020, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck offshore between Cuba and the Cayman Islands, causing damage in both territories.
