Magnitude 5.3 earthquake shakes eastern Dominican Republic and is felt in several provinces

A preliminary magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook eastern Dominican Republic at midday on Friday and was felt in several provinces, the National Seismology Center of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) confirmed to the newspaper Diario Libre.

The quake struck at around 12:35 p.m. The agency's preliminary report places the epicenter 6.9 kilometers south of El Seibo, at a depth of 128.2 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded it at magnitude 4.8, with an epicenter 10 kilometers southwest of Guaymate.

The tremor was clearly felt in eastern communities —El Seibo, Higüey, Miches and San Pedro de Macorís— and in other parts of the country, where residents reported shaking in homes, offices and shops.

So far, emergency authorities and the Emergency Operations Center (COE) have reported no victims and no significant structural damage. A final damage assessment is still pending.

The National Seismology Center said the magnitude is preliminary and could change once the analysis of the seismic records is complete, and it continues to monitor seismic activity in the country and the rest of the Caribbean.

Photo: En Tendencia RD

Source: En Tendencia RD and El Cohete