Cuba hit by strongest earthquake in around 150 years, tremors felts in Florida, Mexico

The earthquake was the strongest to have hit the island since 1880, when a 6.0 temblor hit near San Cristobal, Cuba.

Updated on: Jun 9, 2026, 06:00:23 IST

By HT News Desk

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An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude struck off the coast of Cuba on Monday, the tremors of which were felt in Florida in the United States and parts of Mexico.

An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit Cuba on Monday. (Unsplash - representational image)

The US Geological Survey said the quake was 6.1 magnitude and struck about 100 kilometers (62 miles) in Mantua, Cuba, about two to four hours by car from Havana. The quake hit at a shallow depth of 26 km (16 miles).

Residents in Cuba said they experienced 20 seconds of shaking that forced them out of buildings and into the streets.

"At first I just felt dizzy -- it didn't occur to me it was an earthquake, I'd never experienced that before," Carmel Delgado, a 47-year-old economist, told AFP.

"But once we realized what it could be, we got out quickly."

Tremors felt in southern US

Cuban authorities said the earthquake was felt "throughout the entire west of the country" and was felt as far away as Florida.

In Florida, residents across the US state reported earth shaking after the Monday's earthquake.

“We've received several recent reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida within the past 30 minutes. An earthquake has occurred just west of Cuba in the southern Gulf,” National Weather Service Miami-South Florida said.

Strongest in 150 years

The earthquake was unusual for this area of the Caribbean, Paul Earle, a seismologist at the USGS, said, adding that the quake occurred within a tectonic plate, where earthquakes are usually more scattered and less frequent.

The Monday's earthquake was the strongest since 1880 to have hit the area within 322 km (200 miles), Earle said.

Though the authorities have not yet reported any major damage or casualties, the tremors sparked concern in Cuba, where decades of economic crisis have left buildings in severe disrepair.

No tsunami warning or watch was issued after the earthquake, according to the US National Weather Service.

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