7.3-Magnitude Earthquake In Caribbean Sea Shakes Northern Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Feb 9 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the Caribbean Sea shook northern Honduras on Saturday afternoon, said the Secretariat of Risk and Contingency Management (COPECO) of Honduras, reported Xinhua. 

The earthquake had a depth of 10 km and its epicentre was located near the Cayman Islands, over 298 km north-northeast of Puerto Lempira in eastern Honduras, the COPECO said in its report.

The COPECO added that no damage has been reported so far, but "monitoring continues through the system as prevention means".

The quake was perceptible in northern Honduras for approximately 15 seconds, as well as in western Cuba, according to local media.

Due to the threat of a tsunami after the earthquake, the COPECO declared a yellow alert for the Caribbean coast of Honduras for a period of 24 hours from 6 pm Saturday local time (0000 GMT Sunday).

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA