Earthquake near Cuba sparks concern in South Florida

MIAMI – The emotional shockwaves of a magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Cuba are being felt in South Florida.

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The earthquake struck eastern Cuba on Sunday after weeks of hurricanes and power outages left many people on the island reeling.

The quake’s epicenter was about 25 miles south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba.

A woman outside Miami’s famous Versailles restaurant told Local 10 News on Sunday that there was likely no light or power on the island, leaving her relatives unable to answer her calls.

The rumblings of the earthquake were felt throughout the eastern part of Cuba, including larger cities such as Santiago de Cuba. The earthquake comes at another difficult time for Cuba.

On Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael hit western Cuba.

“I just got back from there,” one man told Local 10 News. “Like I said, we had a major hurricane. We have so many problems with electricity and water there.”

The City of Miami issued a statement Sunday saying, “The City of Miami is aware that some residents in the Brickell/Downtown area may be concerned about the recent earthquake off the coast of Cuba, but we want to reassure everyone that it is “There is no earthquake.” or aftershocks are felt in Miami.”