Magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocks Cuba following hurricanes and power outages

HAVANA — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 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 (40 kilometers) south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report.

A rumbling could be felt throughout the eastern part of Cuba, including in larger cities such as Santiago de Cuba and Holguín and. 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.

The residents of Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city, were shocked on Sunday. Yolanda Tabío, 76, said people in the city poured into the streets, still sitting nervously in their doorways. She said she felt at least two aftershocks after the quake but had not heard of any damage from friends and family.

“You had to see everything moving, the walls, everything,” she told The Associated Press.

Others reported hearing screams, adding that the quake was strong and ongoing. On social media, residents of the small town of Pilon reported minor damage and posted photos of crumbling roofs and cracks in building walls, which is not uncommon in Cuba, where many buildings are older and in need of repair.

The earthquake comes at another difficult time for Cuba.

On Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael ripped through western Cuba, with strong winds knocking out power across the island, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. Days later, much of the island was still without power.

Weeks earlier, in October, the island was also hit by a double whammy. First, there were day-long power outages across the island due to the island’s energy crisis. Shortly afterwards, it was hit by a strong hurricane that hit the eastern part of the island, killing at least six people.

The power outages and the general discontent of many people struggling to survive have sparked small protests across the island.