Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hits near Puerto Rico

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit off the southern coast of Puerto Rico early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a tweet.

The quake hit in the Caribbean Sea at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the USGS. Preliminary reports by the USGS put the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.0.

Here are the latest updates:

Update 2:50 p.m. EST Jan. 11: The USGS originally classified the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.0 but revised it later in the day. The epicenter of the earthquake hit 8 miles southeast of Guanica, CNN reported.

Update 10:40 a.m. EST Jan. 11: The earthquake rattled the southern coast of Puerto Rico around 8:55 a.m. AST, NBC News reported. The quake knocked out power to approximately 5,000 residents, according to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

Witnesses told NBC News the latest earthquake caused concrete debris from damaged buildings to topple into the streets.

Barbara Cruz, who was in the southern city of Ponce, told the Miami Herald concrete debris hit the sidewalk and buildings crumbled.

“Everyone is out on the street,” Cruz told the newspaper.

Original report: On Tuesday, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico, killing at least one person, injuring eight others and knocking out power across the island, according to multiple reports. A 5.2 magnitude aftershock hit the island Friday afternoon.

Tuesday's earthquake knocked out power across the island, CBS News reported.

There have been nearly 2,000 earthquakes in Puerto Rico since Dec. 28, the network reported. Sixty of those earthquakes were felt by residents on the island.

Residents in Puerto Rico were already without power were residing in tents and cots when a 6.0 earthquake hit Saturday morning.

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