Two powerful earthquakes in Cuba caused landslides, damage to residential buildings and power lines, said the country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Reuters reports.
According to the United States Geological Survey, earthquakes of magnitude 5.9 and 6.8 occurred on the island within an hour of each other. Authorities also reported aftershocks.
“There were landslides, houses and power lines were damaged… We began to assess the damage… The first and most important thing is to save lives.” – said the president.
He urged residents of affected regions to stay in open areas.
Local residents told Reuters that dishes in their homes fell from shelves and broke during the earthquake. Many buildings in the region are old and vulnerable to this type of phenomenon, the agency notes.
This is not the first emergency situation in Cuba in recent weeks. On October 18, a major blackout occurred in Cuba due to an accident at the Matanzas thermal power plant, the largest on the island. As a result, the country was left without electricity. Later, on October 21, Hurricane Oscar hit the island and, in early November, Tropical Storm Rafael, RBC recalls.
