A second major earthquake in as many days has rocked Puerto Rico, causing widespread power outages, damage to buildings, and reportedly killing at least one person.
The magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the Caribbean island’s southern coast at 4:24am local time near the city of Ponce.
It struck at a depth of just 6km, according to the USGS, and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. El Nuevo Dia newspaper is reporting that a 73-year-old man died after a wall fell on him during one of the quakes.
The full impact of the tremors has yet to be revealed, but several buildings in the town of Guanica have collapsed and there have been widespread power outages across the island.
Footage on social media even shows power outages in Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, including at the country’s main airport, which is over 100km from the epicenter of the quake.
#TemblorPR#Temblor It happened at the airport in San Juan, didn’t thought about it at first before I started receiving calls and texts of my friends asking me if I felt it. Now I’m worried. pic.twitter.com/G7wBiwrECx
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Chief Executive Jose Ortiz said its Central Costa Sur power plant sustained damage during the quake, and it is checking other substations on the island.
The utility said on Twitter that it cut off power on safety grounds and hoped to reconnect supplies as soon as possible.
Tuesday’s temblor comes just one day after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the US territory, toppling houses and causing power outages and small landslides.
