A 7.6 magnitude earthquake has struck in the Caribbean Sea north of Honduras, briefly triggering multiple tsunami warnings in the area, including for the coasts of Honduras, Belize, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The powerful quake, which was felt across the region from Mexico to the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, struck some 36km northeast of Great Swan Island around 2:51am GMT, according to US Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alert of possible waves up to one meter above tide level in Honduras, Belize, Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica. However, after detecting the formation of the waves, the PTWC concluded that “based on observed data there is no threat” and lifted some of its earlier warnings.

Still the PTWC is advising residents of coastal areas to watch out for “small sea level changes.” The agency projected that the “earliest estimated time that hazardous sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents may begin” is after 5:20am GMT (1:20am Atlantic Standard Time).

M7.6 #earthquake strikes 306 km SW of George Town (Cayman Islands) 17 min ago. Effects reported by witnesses: pic.twitter.com/s1v0yquZbU — EMSC (@LastQuake) January 10, 2018

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also lifted its multiple tsunami advisories for the shoreline of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, where it earlier said waves of up to 0.3 meters were possible with a threat of “fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along coasts … beaches … in harbors … and in coastal waters.”

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the shallow quake, which had a depth of just 10 kilometers. The director of Honduras’ contingencies commission confirmed that the quake was felt “in the majority” of the country with no reports of damage, Reuters reports. Meanwhile Belize’s Emergencies Minister urged residents of low coastal areas to stay vigilant for potential danger.</s>One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Caribbean in modern times struck off the coast of Honduras on Tuesday night, shaking the mainland and setting off tsunami warnings that were canceled about an hour later.

There were no early reports of serious damage or casualties on land after the quake struck shortly before 10 p.m. EST. Officials in Honduras said shaking was registered across much of the nation and there were some reports of cracks in homes in Colon and Atlantida provinces along the northern coast and Olancho in eastern Honduras.

Tsunami centers issued advisories and warnings for Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands as well as on the coasts of Mexico and Central America, cautioning that sea levels could rise from a foot to 3 feet (0.3 to 1 meter) above normal, but no tsunami materialized.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The tremor struck in the sea about 125 miles (202 kilometers) north-northeast of Barra Patuca, Honduras, and 188 miles (303 kilometers) southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. The tremor occurred about 6 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface.

The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake's epicenter is sparsely populated, with much of it covered by nature reserves. The tremor was about 25 miles (44 kilometers) east of Honduras' Swan Islands, which are unpopulated except for a small navy post.

Tuesday's quake was one of the largest to hit the Caribbean in recorded history. The 2010 quake that devastated Haiti was magnitude 7.0.</s>HONDURAS – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake registered in the Caribbean Tuesday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The epicenter was located 27 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. The powerful quake was initially measured at 7.8, but later revised.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves were possible for several countries in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as Mexico.

“Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meters above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica,” the agency said.

A tsunami advisory is in effect for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and there is a potential threat to the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Jamaica and Costa Rica, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

A tsunami advisory signals a threat to those in or near water, as strong currents and waves could be dangerous. A threat means there is the potential for coastal flooding or strong currents.</s>HONDURAS – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake registered in the Caribbean Tuesday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The epicenter is located off the northern coast of Honduras. The powerful quake was initially measured at 7.8, but later revised.

A tsunami advisory is in effect for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and there is a potential threat to the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Jamaica and Costa Rica, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

A tsunami advisory signals a threat to those in or near water, as strong currents and waves could be dangerous. A threat means there is the potential for coastal flooding or strong currents.</s>MEXICO CITY — A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between the coast of Honduras and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night.

There were no early reports of damage on land. Tsunami warning centers said no tsunami waves had been confirmed but stress that people in Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands and the coast of Central America should be alert to the danger of possible tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The tremor struck in the sea about 125 miles (202 kilometers) north-northeast of Barra Patuca, Honduras, and 188 miles (303 kilometers) southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. The tremor occurred about 6 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface.

The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake’s epicenter is sparsely populated, with much of it covered by nature reserves. Some people in the capital of Tegucigalpa said they did not feel the tremor.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez via Twitter said that Honduras had activated its emergency system and asked people to remain calm.

In the Cayman Islands, Sgt. Dave McKay with Royal Cayman Islands Police told The Associated Press that hazard management officials had not issued a tsunami alert but authorities were monitoring the situation.</s>HONDURAS – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between the coast of Honduras and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night, shaking the mainland and causing officials to warn people around the region to be alert to the threat of possible tsunami surges.

There were no early reports of serious damage on land. Officials in Honduras said shaking was felt across much of the Central American nation and there were some reports of cracks in homes in Colon and Atlantida provinces along the northern coast and Olancho in eastern Honduras.

Tsunami warning centers said no tsunami waves had been confirmed but issued advisories stressing that people in Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands as well as on the coasts of Mexico and Central America should aware of the tsunami danger. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said sea levels could rise from a foot to 3 feet (0.3 to 1 meter) above normal.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The tremor struck in the sea about 125 miles (202 kilometers) north-northeast of Barra Patuca, Honduras, and 188 miles (303 kilometers) southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. The tremor occurred about 6 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface.

The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake’s epicenter is sparsely populated, with much of it covered by nature reserves. The tremor was about 25 miles (44 kilometers) from Honduras’ Swan Islands, which are unpopulated except for small navy post.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez via Twitter said that Honduras had activated its emergency system and asked people to remain calm.

In the Cayman Islands, Sgt. Dave McKay with Royal Cayman Islands Police told The Associated Press that hazard management officials had not issued a tsunami alert but authorities were monitoring the situation.

Hector Pesquera, Puerto Rico’s public safety secretary, said that authorities were monitoring the coastlines of 46 municipalities on the U.S. territory and that police were patrolling certain areas as backup.

“It’s important that people do not go into the water and stay away from the shoreline,” he said, adding that heavy currents could be felt up until dawn on Wednesday.

He said there were no plans to evacuate anyone.</s>MEXICO CITY (AP) — USGS says magnitude 7.6 earthquake has struck in Caribbean Sea north of Honduras.</s>An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck the Caribbean on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said. The quake hit 44 km east of the Great Swan Island in Honduras.

It rattled windows in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, but no damage was reported. The Mexican state of Quintana Roo, north of Honduras, also felt the tremors, Reuters quoted Mexico’s civil protection director as saying.

The earthquake struck at a depth of only 10 km, which may have amplified its effect. The authorities warned that tsunami waves may be possible within 1,000 km of the epicentre and issued warnings for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and along the coasts of Jamaica, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and Belize.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said waves up to 3.3 feet are possible, ABC reported. Edmond Castro, the minister in Belize in charge of emergency management, urged people living in low-lying coastal areas and islands to stay alert for potentially dangerous waves.</s>TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, January 10, 2018 (ENS) – A major earthquake, one of the most severe in the past 100 years, struck off the coast of Honduras late Tuesday night. The tremor was felt across much of the nation, officials said, and the quake triggered tsunami warnings across the Caribbean that were canceled two hours later.

The magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near the coast of Honduras, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS, which registered it at 20:50 local time on Tuesday.

The quake was felt across northern Central America, prompting a tsunami warning in Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean Islands, but little damage and no casualties have been reported.

The tremor occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles) in the sea between the island of Cuba and the coasts of Honduras and Belize, 44 kilometers east of Great Swan Island, Honduras, according to maps published by the USGS.

The USGS said, “The Great Swan Island, Honduras earthquake occurred as the result of strike slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates.”

The epicenter was located 202 kilometers from the Honduran town of Barra Patuca, and 245 kilometers from the municipality of Puerto Lempira in Honduras.

Honduran President Juan Orlando tweeted, “In face of the earthquake registered in our country, we have activated the emergency system, please remain calm, report any emergency to @ 911Honduras.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that tsunami waves of up to one meter (three feet) above tide level could hit parts of Honduras, Belize, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Cuba, among others.

But two hours after the quake, the threat of a tsunami had passed, and the Tsunami Warning Center withdrew all advisories connected with the quake.

The National Coordinator of Civil Protection in Mexico Luis Felipe Puente wrote, “Based on information from the Tsunami Alert Center @SEMAR_mx, we ruled out the possibility of the generation of a #Tsunami.”

The Swan Island quake was one of the strongest to strike the Caribbean since recordkeeping began. For instance, the 2010 quake that caused major damage in Haiti was a lesser magnitude of 7.0.

Nine other earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger have occurred within 400 km of the January 9, 2018 event over the preceding century.

In May 2009, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred along the Swan Island transform fault approximately 300 km west of the January 9, 2018 event. The 2009 earthquake, which was much closer to land, resulted in seven fatalities, 40 injuries and 130 buildings being damaged or destroyed.</s>The Caribbean region was hit with a massive earthquake Tuesday night, leading to tsunami warnings for multiple nations in the surrounding area.

The epicenter of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake was in the Caribbean Sea, between the coasts of Honduras and the Cayman Islands.

It is believed to have been one of the strongest earthquakes to strike the region in modern memory, according to USA Today.

The quake, which struck at around 10 p.m., did not cause any serious damage or injuries. The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake’s epicenter has few people living on it.

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The quake was originally measured as having a magnitude of 7.8, but it was later downgraded to a 7.6 instead.

Tsunami warnings initially went into effect in countries like Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Central American nations.

“Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meters above the tide level are possible for some coasts,” the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement, according to CNN.

People living in coastal centers were told to go to higher ground.

“If you notice that the (sea) disappears, you have to go to (a) high place,” said Juan Jose Reyes, the director of Early Warning Systems for COPECO, a Honduran disaster prevention agency COPECO.

“Pay attention to the alerts, to the authorities,” he added, while speaking at a news briefing in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

No tsunamis were expected to hit the East or Gulf Coasts of the U.S., Fox News reported, though a warning was issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Moreover, the tsunami warnings were lifted for most of the Caribbean after authorities in the U.S. determined there was no longer any imminent threat, according to CNBC.

Tuesday night’s earthquake came almost 8 years to the day that Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010.

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A magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes north of Honduras, resulting in tsunami warnings in the Caribbean.