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6.5 quake strikes Puerto Rico amid heavy seismic activity

6.5 quake strikes Puerto Rico amid heavy seismic activity
Posted at 4:09 AM, Jan 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-07 04:10:07-05

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico. — A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck Puerto Rico. It is the largest in a series of quakes that have struck the U.S. territory in recent days and caused heavy damage in some areas.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit just south of the island at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers before dawn on Tuesday.

A tsunami alert was issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Power is down across the island, according to the power authority.

An earthquake a day earlier morning collapsed five homes in the southwest coastal town of Guanica and heavily damaged dozens of others.