BREAKING: Tsunami possible following major earthquake near Jamaica, Cuba

A powerful earthquake struck the Caribbean on Tuesday afternoon, shaking parts of Jamaica and Cuba shortly after 2 p.m. local time.

The earthquake was originally rated a 7.3 by the USGS, but was later upgraded to a 7.7. The epicenter of the earthquake was 78 miles (125 km) northwest of Lucea, Jamaica, and was shallow with a depth of just 6.2 miles (10 km).

Tsunami waves as high as 1 meter are possible along some coasts of Belize, Cuba, Hondura, Mexico, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC).

A tsunami wave of 0.11 meters (0.4 feet) was officially observed at George Town, Cayman Islands, at 2:43 p.m. local time. No tsunami waves have been observed at Jamaica or at the Dominican Republic.

Shaking was felt as far away as Miami, Florida, and reports began surfacing on social media that high-rise buildings were felt swaying. Twitter users posted video footage on the platform showing people streaming out of office buildings in Miami, as helicopters buzzed overhead.

Some reports had suggested that Miami International Airport had been evacuated following the shaking. However, the airport refuted this claim, stating that there were no evacuations and that operations have remained normal.

Tuesdays magnitude 7.7 earthquake was the strongest to hit the region since a magnitude 8.1 quake struck near the Dominican Republic on August 4, 1946.

This was also the strongest earthquake anywhere on the globe since a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit near Peru on May 26, 2019, according to USGS records.

This is a developing story. Continue to check back with AccuWeather for further details.

source: yahoo.com