Havana.- A 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook the western region of Cuba this Monday, with no reports of personal injury or material damage so far, according to a preliminary report from the National Seismological Service (Cenais).
The earthquake’s epicenter was located in the Caribbean Sea, about 100 kilometers northwest of the Mantua municipality, in the Pinar del Río province, on the western end of the island, according to what was published by the state-run media outlet Cubadebate.
The tremor was felt throughout the western third of the island, including Havana, according to reports from residents, especially in high-rise buildings.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated for its part that this earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.1 and placed it 104 kilometers west-northwest of Mantua.
We recommend reading:
More Read
Cuba’s precedent with earthquakes
The last earthquake of a similar magnitude in Cuba took place on December 23, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on the open Richter scale shook the Guamá municipality, in Santiago de Cuba (eastern region). According to official data, it totaled 446 aftershocks and its effects caused damage to more than 90 homes and four state buildings.
Two other similar earthquakes occurred in November 2024, in the town of Pilón, in the eastern end. These earthquakes were 6.0 and 6.7, respectively, which were followed by more than 800 aftershocks.
Those two tremors left ten people injured and more than 8,600 homes damaged, of which 156 suffered total collapses and nearly 6,000 had minor damage, according to a report from the Cuban Executive.
More Read
In 2025, 4,535 earthquakes were recorded on the island, although only fifteen were perceptible, according to data from Cenais.
High activity
The area with the highest seismic activity in Cuba is the eastern region, specifically along the southern coast of the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Guantanamo. This high level of danger is due to its proximity to the Oriente Fault, which marks the tectonic plate boundary between the North American plate and the Caribbean plate.
Cuba is located in a region -which spans from the Dominican Republic to Mexico- where different tectonic fault systems with significant seismic activity converge.
This Monday, a major earthquake occurred on the Philippine island of Mindanao, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the open Richter scale. So far, local authorities have identified 35 fatalities and more than a hundred people remain missing.
