5.8 magnitude quake strikes Puerto Rico, damaging homes

A 5.8 magnitude quake hit Puerto Rico before dawn Monday, unleashing small landslides, causing power outages and collapsing some homes, as well as a famed tourist attraction. It was one of the strongest quakes yet in a series that have hit the US territory over the past week.

 There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The quake was followed by a string of smaller temblors, including one measured at magnitude 5 that struck at 10:51 a.m. (1451 GMT), shaking power lines and frightening residents of southern Puerto Rico who had been waiting outside their homes due to fears the buildings were damaged and unstable.

The first quake struck at 6:32 a.m. (1032 GMT) just south of the island at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

The shake collapsed a coastal rock formation that had formed a sort of rounded window, Punta Ventana, that was a popular tourist draw in the southwest town of Guayanilla.

In the southern town of Guanica, Mayor Santos Seda told The Associated Press (AP) that five homes collapsed, but only one of them was inhabited. No injuries had been reported.

Another 29 homes were heavily damaged and about to collapse, he said.

Puerto Rico doesn’t have a public earthquake warning system, except for sirens that are supposed to ring in case of a tsunami. Residents in this neighborhood criticized the government for what they believe is a lack of action.