5.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Caribbean islands

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 rocked several Caribbean countries on Wednesday as regional countries were being urged to continue monitoring the situation in Puerto Rico where two strong quakes have been blamed for the death of one man and damage to several buildings in that country.

The Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies said that the quake occurred at 10: 01 local time and was located Latitude: 15.18N; Longitude: 61.22W and at a depth of 123 kilometres.

The centre said that the quake was felt 23 km south east of Roseau in Dominica as well as 66 km north, north west of Fort-de-France, the capital of the French island of Martinique and 124 km south, south east of Point-à-Pitre, the capital of Guadeloupe.

It said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Wednesday joined the centre in urging Caribbean countries to monitor the situation in Puerto Rico.

CDEMA further urged countries said to be guided by the established protocols outlined in their respective tsunami and coastal hazard plans.