The earthquake struck 87km south west of San Juan in Puerto Rico, had a depth of 10km and at 8:24am local time. The tourist hotspot has lost its power following the incident but there is no tsnuami warning. It is believed other countries including The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Antigua could also be affected by the earthquake.
Locals have already taken to the internet to express how they felt the phenomenen. One witness said: “God help us” and another said “It moved the beds, the front door was nearly forced open and fell on the floor”.
A Twitter user said: “Whole country is awake. High earthquake felt all over the island. Electrical grid collapsed. Aftershocks currently being felt allover the place.”
The USGS has warned of further aftershocks expected and has advised people to be wary when close to big buildings.
They have said they believe there is a four per cent chance of one or more aftershocks larger than magnitude 6.5.
Puerto Rico, a popular tourist destination, lies between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates leaving it open to earthquakes.
This comes after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the island yesterday followed by several aftershocks.
Puerto Rico was a victim of the Category 5 storm Hurricane Maria which struck in September 2017.
The hurricane killed almost 3,000 people in Puerto Rico.