5.9 magnitude earthquake in Haiti
Dominican government is awaiting an assessment of the Saturday, 6 October 2018, northwestern Haiti earthquakes to send assistance. The earthquake was followed by a 5.2 replica on Sunday. The announcement was made by Medina government spokesman, Roberto Rodríguez Marchena. More than 12 persons have been reported killed in Haiti and more than 135 people were reportedly injured.
Reports are also that a 5.9 Richter Scale magnitude earthquake was also felt in the cities of Santiago, Holguin and in Guantanamo, in eastern Cuba around the same time on Saturday evening, according to a report from the Cuba Seismological System.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit Haiti at 8:11 p.m. on Saturday night and was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, about 219 kilometers from the capital of Port-au-Prince.
The quake itself and several aftershocks of more than 4.0 in magnitude were felt in Montecristi, on the northwestern side of the island. No damages have been reported in the Dominican Republic.
UPDATE: No earthquake in Cuba, source of earthquake in Haiti and DR are different
The UASD Seismological Institute said that the 5.9 Richter magnitude scale earthquake was only felt in Haiti, not in Cuba, as erroneously had been reported. Due to an error in the detection system, it was broadcast that island of Cuba was at the epicenter of the quake. The error was quickly discovered and an update issued. On Saturday, 6 October 2018, at 8pm, a 5.9 Richter magnitude scale earthquake occurred in northern Haiti, and a 5.4 aftershock was felt on Sunday, on the northeast of Haiti. 15 deaths and more than 300 injuries have been attributed to the quake.
Meanwhile, the UASD Seismological Center and the US Geological Service reported more than 40 mild earthquakes in the area of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). As reported, 34 earthquakes have been on the border zone, most near Montecristi. Because of the spike in seismic activity, the Ministry of Education is checking public schools for damage.
On Sunday 9 October, there was a 5.4 earthquake reported in the same area off the northwest coast of Haiti, which was felt in Montecristi, Valverde, Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez and Santiago.
The director of the Seismological Center, Eugenio Polanco, said that there have been no reports of any damage in the Dominican Republic.
Source: DR1, Elnacional
Oct 9, 2018
Category: DR News |