Magnitude 6.1 earthquake shakes Cuba; residents evacuate buildings after intense tremor

A powerful magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted Cuba's western coast on Monday, prompting residents to evacuate buildings after experiencing intense shaking. Journalists in Havana reported a significant tremor that lasted approximately 20 seconds, causing widespread alarm.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake's magnitude and pinpointed its epicenter about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the island, near the town of Mantua in the Pinar del Río province. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Reports from the ground described strong shaking in various locations. The website 14ymedio noted that the tremor was felt intensely in Sandino, Pinar del Río, with one user quoted as saying, "It shook a lot. The sofa even moved with two people sitting on it." In Havana, social media users also reported significant movement, with one from Habana del Este on the 12th floor describing everything moving. Another resident in Guanabacoa felt it for "a few seconds" from a fifth-floor apartment.

Carmel Delgado, a 47-year-old economist in Havana, recounted her experience: "At first I just felt dizzy; I didn't think it was an earthquake, I had never experienced anything like it," she told AFP. "But once we realized what it could be, we got out quickly." Cuban authorities confirmed the tremor was felt across the entire western part of the country. AFP reporters also noted that the earthquake was felt as far away as Florida in the United States.

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It shook a lot. The sofa even moved with two people sitting on it.