The earthquake was felt in Havana and other western provinces of the island, while international reports indicate that it was also felt in areas of South Florida
SANTO DOMINGO. — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook western Cuba on Monday afternoon, causing dozens of people to leave buildings and homes in several locations, especially in Havana and Pinar del Río, where the tremor was clearly perceptible.
According to reports published by Cuban media such as Diario de Cuba and CubaNet, the earthquake was felt in much of the western third of the island, including the provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth.
According to information released by the National Center for Seismological Research of Cuba (Cenais), the epicenter was located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Mantua, in the province of Pinar del Río, at a depth of about 20 kilometers.
No damage reported
So far, Cuban authorities have not reported any casualties or significant material damage, although they are maintaining active monitoring and evaluation protocols in the areas where the phenomenon was most noticeable.
Testimonies gathered by the aforementioned local media describe how the tremors lasted for several seconds, forcing numerous people to leave tall buildings as a precaution while they sought information about what had happened.
It was also noticeable in Florida
The US media outlet Univision reported that the earthquake was also felt in various locations in South Florida, citing data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.1 and located its epicenter about 104 kilometers west-northwest of Mantua.
Likewise, the United States Tsunami Warning Center ruled out that the phenomenon posed a significant threat to the region's coasts.
An area less accustomed to large earthquakes
Although Cuba is located in a region of significant tectonic activity, most of the strongest earthquakes tend to be concentrated in the east of the island, associated with the Oriente Fault, the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates.
Therefore, an earthquake of this magnitude in the westernmost part of the country generates special attention among the authorities and seismic monitoring agencies, who continue to assess any possible impact resulting from the phenomenon.
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