A major earthquake struck south of Cuba on Tuesday, sending shockwaves as far as Miami and sparking panic in the Cayman Islands where it ripped open sinkholes, but did not do serious damage to people or property, initial reports said.
The magnitude 7.7 quake hit in the sea between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km). Several aftershocks, including one of 6.1 magnitude much nearer to the Cayman Islands, followed the principal quake.
In Miami, Florida, several downtown buildings were evacuated as office workers streamed outdoors to safety.
The International Tsunami Information Center said a threat of a tsunami wave had largely passed. Minor sea level fluctuations up to 1 feet (30 cm) were still possible, it said.
The quake was also felt in several provinces across Cuba, the government said. However, it was not strongly felt in the capital of Havana, according to a Reuters witness.
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