- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 and several other strong tremors hit Puerto Rico on Tuesday morning, killing at least one man and injuring several others one day after an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 shook the island, authorities said.
Power outages and damage were reported near the south coast of the island, including the city of Ponce, where a 77-year-old man died and at least eight others were injured, the emergency management director of Ponce, Ángel Vásquez.
The 6.4-degree earthquake occurred at 4:24 am (3:24 am ET), centered near the southern coast of Puerto Rico, about 10 kilometers south of the city of Indians, the Geological Survey said. USA UU.
The Immaculate Conception church in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, was damaged in the 6.4 earthquake on Tuesday.
Several other strong earthquakes followed, including a magnitude 5.8 quake just south of Indians at 7:18 am, the USGS said.
Riko González and her parents were sleeping at home in Yauco, near Indios, when the 6.4 earthquake occurred. They woke up with a thud and ran out of the house. Dishes and glasses broke on the kitchen floor, he said.
It was "horrible, nothing compared to yesterday's (magnitude) 5," Gonzalez told CNN.
"People are afraid of going to bed, because then they could be awakened by earthquakes worse than the day before," he said.
In Guayanilla, just north of Indians, homes and a church were damaged, Mayor Nelson Torres said in a telephone interview with WAPA, a CNN affiliate.
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reported widespread blackouts throughout the island after its power plants activated a self-protection mechanism after the earthquake.
Without Light metropolitan area due to strong tremor, only the light can be seen in the Medical Center @adamonzon @CelimarAdames @NoticentroWAPA @wandavazquezg @normandoh @redsismica pic.twitter.com/Z25NR6J91c
- Jesus Ramos (@Jesus_Santini) January 7, 2020
The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, urged citizens to remain calm while the government responds to the most recent earthquake.
"Hope all is well. We are receiving our information from @NMEADpr and @DSPnoticias, ”he said in a statement on Twitter. “The whole government is active and in action. I ask our people to remain calm and I urge you to stay safe. ”
Earthquakes occur more than two years after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory in September 2017.
No tsunami is expected after Tuesday's earthquakes, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said. UU.
The magnitude of the largest earthquake on Tuesday morning was adjusted slightly downward in subsequent hours, after initially registering as 6.6.
Puerto Rico has experienced a series of earthquakes since December 28, according to USGS data, which vary in magnitude from 4.7 to 5.8 on Sunday.
A building collapsed and crushed a car in Yauco, Puerto Rico. It is reported that all occupants of the house are not injured.
All earthquakes seem to have been the foretaste of the strongest movement this Tuesday morning, said CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
On Monday, the early morning earthquake in the same area caused some damage, including rock landslides and the collapse of a house in Guayanilla, said Carlos Acevedo, director of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency.
CNN's Hollie Silverman, Ana Melgar Zuniga and Roxanne Garcia-Bell contributed to this report.
Earthquake earthquake
