A 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the early hours of this morning and was felt throughout the eastern half of Cuba; no tsunami hazard with earthquakes occurring on the Oriente fault line in the south of the nation.

According to the seismological service of the Antillean country, the tremor occurred at 1:00 local time, about 35 kilometres southwest of the town of Chivirico in the province of Santiago de Cuba.

«This phenomenon was felt throughout the eastern half of the country and is an earthquake independent of those that took place on 10 November in Pilón,» explained the expert Enrique Arango, head of this institution.

As of 5:00 local time, 208 aftershocks had been recorded, some of which were felt in areas close to the epicentre.

Enrique Arango, PhD in Science, explained exclusively to the CMKC radio station that the 6.1 tremor is not a replica of the one that occurred in Granma, it is in a different fault and tectonic zone.

«This has already had more than 60 aftershocks, so far two of which have been perceptible, the largest of 3.8, and the specialised organisations are continuing to monitor the situation together with the highest authorities in Santiago.

He recommended the population to remain alert and to stay out of closed places, to go down from high buildings and places in danger of collapse.