A 5.7-magnitude quake jolted Puerto Ricans out of their beds on Monday morning, the biggest quake yet to strike the trembling U.S. territory for the past week.
The quake struck just south of the island at 10 kilometers (over 6 miles) of relatively shallow depth, according to the U.S. Geological Service.. There has been no threat of tsunami, officials said.
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Power outages were confirmed in some areas of Puerto Rico after the quake, the Associated Press told Angel Vazquez, chief of emergency management for Ponce’s southern coastal region.
“Since it started shaking on Dec. 28, this is one of the biggest quakes to date,” he said. “It was going on for a long time.”
No casualties or structural damage were reported immediately, although some residents reported minor landslides that led crews to temporarily close roads along the southern coast of Puerto Rico.
In the southern coastal town of Penuelas, Dr. Sindia Alvarado said she was petrified.
“Screaming, my whole family woke up,” she said. “I though the house will break in half.” The flurry of quakes in the southern region of Puerto Rico started on the night of 28 December, with quakes ranging from 4.7 to 5.1 in magnitude. Over the past few days, recent quakes of smaller magnitudes have shattered homes and caused products to fall off supermarket shelves.