Guadeloupe rattled by 5.0 magnitude earthquake, tremors felt in Antigua and beyond

Guadeloupe: A massive earthquake having magnitude of over 5.0 struck near Guadeloupe early Monday morning with tremors being reported across Leeward islands. According to the information by the US Geological Survey, the quake hit the countries around 9:16 am UTC (5:16 a.m. AST) and had a depth of 60 km.

The Survey also shared image of a map which showed the epicentre of this earthquake in north of Anse-Bertrand, Guadeloupe, felt in Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, and other Leeward Islands.

While sharing the exact details, the USGS said that the epicenter was located 28.7 kilometers north-northeast of Anse-Bertrand in Guadeloupe while it was located 43.7 kilometers north of Le Moule, 50.1 kilometers north of Les Abymes, 51.2 kilometers southeast of Falmouth, Antigua and Barbuda, and 51.8 kilometer northeast of Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe.

The tremor which was designated as magnitude type ‘mww’ was reviewed by a seismologist and an earthquake alert was also issued by AlertVI at 5 36 am AST while noting that the earthquake may have been felt in parts of the US Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, locals across Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, Guadeloupe and other neighbouring islands reported feeling the massive 5.0 earthquake however no damage or injuries have been reported. The quake was reported within the Leeward Islands region, an area which is close to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Montserrat, Marie-Galante and St Kitts and Nevis.

A local from Antigua took to Facebook and confirmed that he experienced the earthquake noting, “I felt it in Paradise View at 5:17am. Felt like light airplane turbulence and was enough to spill my coffee.” “An earthquake in Antigua occurred a few minutes ago. Thank you, Lord, for your protection,” said another named Kay While.

A local from St Kitts and Nevis also confirmed feeling it on the island while several others from Guadeloupe also emphasised that the quake was very strong.