Find the weather in any city, state, ZIP code or country
|
|
|
|
Strong quake strikes Caribbean near Martinique Thu
Nov 29, 2007
CARIBBEAN QUAKE PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - A powerful but deep earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 sent workers scrambling in panic into Caribbean streets on Thursday after it struck near the island of Martinique and sent tremors through the region. The quake was "the strongest this century" but there were no initial reports of serious damage or injury, said Julian Dubois, deputy director of the St. Lucia Civil Defense. "There have been no reports of significant damage apart from to water lines and water tanks," Dubois said by telephone. He added the strength and duration of the quake would undoubtedly have caused cracks in buildings. Dominique Boucle at the Civil Defense unit in Martinique, a French territory in the eastern Caribbean, said he had no details but there was "very little damage." In Trinidad, Richard Robertson, head of the seismic research unit of the University of the West Indies, said no tsunami warning had been issued because of the depth of the quake, a statement echoed by the U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The quake hit at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT), 13 miles northwest of Martinique, at a depth of 90 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Earthquakes with a deep epicenter are less likely to cause damage. In St. Lucia, panicking office workers rushed out into the streets, Dubois said. "It was a very strong shake," he said. It was felt as far away as Colombia. In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, some residents evacuated office buildings. There were no reports of injuries or damage to property in Venezuela and the state oil company said it had no reports of any of its installations being affected. Trinidad affiliates of oil and gas majors BP Plc and BG Group said no damage had been reported at their offshore installations. (Additional reporting by Tom Brown and Michael Christie in Miami, Saul Hudson in Caracas and Matthew Bigg in Atlanta; Editing by Peter Cooney)
|
Weather predictions or not? Most fail to materialise BBC weather UK New Barkfly and other insect species arrives in UK due to hot weather. more BBC weather Weather TAGS
: Weather books :
Weather
Underground >> |
|
What Next ?
|
