Powerful earthquake strikes between Cuba and Jamaica, felt in Miami

A massive earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Jamaica on Tuesday — and caused buildings as far away as Miami to shake, prompting several evacuations.

The 7.7 magnitude quake hit 86 miles northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 87 miles southwest of Niquera, Cuba at 2:10 p.m., the US Geological Survey said.

There was no immediate word on casualties or major damage.

Tremors were felt more than 500 miles in Aventura, north of Miami. Videos taken inside a high-rise in Aventura showed blinds swaying.

“I was sitting at my desk in Aventura, I felt motion similar to feeling light-headed,” one person who felt their building sway told CBS Miami.

“It didn’t stop, and my coworker asked if the building was moving. It lasted for another 20 seconds as we walked toward the stairwell.”

People in eight buildings in downtown Miami self-evacuated, City Commissioner Ken Russell told Local10. The Miami-Dade Government Center was also evacuated as a precaution.

Hundreds of workers gathered on the streets after clearing out of their hi-rises, with emergency vehicles and police responding, videos and photos showed.

The powerful quake struck just 6.2 miles beneath the water’s surface, with experts warning that giant waves could reach as far as 186 miles from the epicenter.

A tsunami threat message was issued by the US National Weather Service for the coasts of Jamaica, Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and the Cayman Islands.

In the Cayman Islands, tremors caused roads to crack and sewage to erupt from splintered mains.

Dr. Stenette Davis, a psychiatrist at Cayman Islands Hospital, said she saw manhole covers blown off by the force of the quake and sewage exploding into the street.

The quake “was just like a big dump truck rolling past. Then it continued and got more intense,” said Kevin Morales, editor-in-chief of the Cayman Compass newspaper.

Folks in Santiago, Cuba and Montego Bay, Jamaica also reported feeling a forceful shaking, but didn’t see any major damage nearby.

With Post wires