UPDATED 9:30pm: The “all clear” has been issued for Cayman following a tsunami threat after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 126 miles southwest of Grand Cayman on Saturday evening.
“This was a large earthquake and we are thankful that no major damage has been reported on our Islands,” said a Cayman Islands Government statement at 9:15pm.
Dani Coleman, director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands, said, “We have no doubt that there will be aftershocks over the next couple of days, so we ask the public to remain vigilant and keep abreast to all official channels.”
ORIGINAL: The Cayman Islands are under a tsunami threat following a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that occurred 126 miles southwest of Grand Cayman at 6:23pm Saturday. The quake happened at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands advised residents to “immediately” move inland and away from the shoreline while the threat level is monitored. Wave heights of 1 to 3 feet are possible along the coastline.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the arrival time for the first wave in Grand Cayman, if indeed a tsunami was generated, would be at 6:58pm.
USGS confirmed subsequent tremors.
The first, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, occurred at 6:51 approximately 165 miles southwest of Grand Cayman, also at a depth of 6.2 miles. About half-an-hour after that one, USGS confirmed a 4.2 magnitude tremor occurred at 7:23pm, 145 miles southwest of Grand Cayman.
With the earthquake occurring 126 miles away from the island, only light shaking was felt by some residents during the event, and the Cayman Compass has received no reports of damage.
Hazard Management has urged residents to stay tuned to their social media pages for additional updates.
A tsunami is an ocean wave or series of waves caused by an abrupt disturbance of the ocean floor that displaces a large mass of water.
This is a developing story, the Cayman Compass will provide further updates.
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