HAVANA (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and power outages that left many on the island reeling.
The earthquake's epicenter was about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, according to a report from the US Geological Survey.
The rumbling was felt in the eastern part of Cuba, including in larger cities such as Santiago de Cuba, Holguin and Cuba. Guantanamo. Local media in Jamaica also reported that the island felt the tremors.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries in Cuba.
Residents of Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city, were shocked on Sunday. Yolanda Tabío, 76, said people in the city took to the streets en masse and still sat nervously in the doorway. She said she felt at least two aftershocks after the earthquake, but had not heard of any damage among friends and family.
“You had to see how everything moved, the walls, everything,” she told The Associated Press.
Others reported hearing screams, adding that the earthquake was powerful and spreading. On social media, residents of the small town of Pilon reported minor damage, posting photos of crumbling roofs and cracks in the walls of buildings, which is not unusual in Cuba, where many structures are older and in need of repairs.
The earthquake comes during another difficult period for Cuba.
On Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael tore through western Cuba, bringing strong winds that knocked out power across the island, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Days later, much of the island was still without power.
Weeks earlier, in October, the island was also hit by a one-two punch. First, the country was hit by days of island-wide power outages due to the island's energy crisis. Shortly afterwards, it was hit by a powerful hurricane that hit the eastern part of the island and killed at least six people.
The power outages and wider discontent among many struggling to make ends meet have sparked small protests across the island.
