6.1 magnitude aftershock strikes near Cayman Islands

An aftershock measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck near the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, hours after the powerful initial quake of magnitude 7.7 jolted the Caribbean, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The epicentre of the aftershock, which occurred at around 9:55 pm (UTC), was located at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, about 57 kilometres southeast of the East End district of Cayman Islands.The initial quake had struck 125 kilometres northwest of the Jamaican coastal town of Lucea and had triggered the threat of tsunami waves that could reach as high as a meter above tide level in the region, as per a statement by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The initial quake was felt as far away as Havana and Miami.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries from either of the two quakes.

Further details are awaited.