Magnitude 4.7 earthquake shakes eastern Dominican Republic and is felt in several provinces

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook eastern Dominican Republic at midday on Friday and was felt in several provinces, according to updated data from the National Seismology Center of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).

The quake struck at around 12:35 p.m., with an epicenter 20.2 kilometers south of El Seibo, at a depth of 144.2 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded it at magnitude 4.8, with an epicenter 10 kilometers southwest of Guaymate, in La Romana.

The tremor was clearly felt in eastern communities —El Seibo, Higüey, Miches and San Pedro de Macorís— and in other parts of the country, where residents reported shaking in homes, offices and shops.

So far, emergency authorities and the Emergency Operations Center (COE) have reported no victims and no significant structural damage. A final damage assessment is still pending.

The National Seismology Center continues to monitor seismic activity in the country and the rest of the Caribbean. During the early hours of Friday, other smaller quakes were also recorded, magnitude 3.3 near La Romana and 3.1 near Luperón, Puerto Plata.

Updated 5:45 p.m.: the National Seismology Center corrected the preliminary magnitude from 5.3 to 4.7 after completing its analysis of the records.

Photo: En Tendencia RD

Source: BLU Radio RD and En Tendencia RD