(Express) – Jamaica’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake has caused the ground to open up in the Cayman Islands as dramatic footage shows huge holes in the street. Jamaica and Cuba suffered huge tremors as the earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea. Online footage shows huge sinkholes in the road at the popular tourist hotspot. The quake struck at 2.36 pm local time (9.37 pm GMT), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Onlookers in the video can be heard saying: “I can’t believe this. It’s nuts.” The earthquake was reported about 72 miles northwest of Lucea, Jamaica. The epicenter of the quake initially reported as magnitude 7.3 before being upgraded, was between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba, at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles (10 km). Tsunami warnings are in place for the area.
The quake was not strongly felt in the Cuban capital of Havana or in Kingston, Jamaica, according to Reuters witnesses. Meanwhile, Mikhail Campbell, a police media relations officer in the Cayman Islands, said he was not immediately aware of any reports of serious damage. “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km (186 miles) of the epicenter along the coasts of Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cuba,” the International Tsunami Information Center said. READ MORE
