Cuba struck by 5.6 quake

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Guantanamo city in eastern Cuba, sending alarmed residents fleeing into the streets and causing cracks in some buildings.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage, according to Reuters.

A spokesman at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay also reported no damage there.

The quake, which also was felt strongly in Cuba's second city of Santiago de Cuba, was centred 43 km southwest of Guantanamo at a depth of 22 km, the US Geological Survey reported.

State-run Radio Reloj reported from Guantanamo that the quake caused cracks in some buildings and some pieces of masonry fell.

Residents of Santiago de Cuba, about 50 km from the epicentre, also felt the quake.

"It was awful. You could feel it pretty strongly. It lasted longer than normal. Our phones are only receiving calls," Ariadna, a 34-year-old Cuban in the eastern city, told Reuters.

A magnitude-5 quake can cause considerable damage but Chief Petty Officer Bill Mesta, a spokesman at the US Guantanamo base, said none was reported.

No tsunami warning was issued for the region.


- NZHERALD STAFF