5.1-magnitude quake rattles eastern Cuba; no reports of injuries or damage

Moderate 5.1-magnitude quake shakes eastern Cuba

HAVANA — A 5.1-magnitude earthquake rattled items on shelves at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and shook other parts of eastern Cuba on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

The quake struck shortly before 8 a.m. local time (8 a.m. EDT; 1200 GMT) and was centered 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Santiago, the island’s second-largest city, and 25 miles (45 kilometers) south of the city of Guantanamo, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Santiago residents reported feeling the ground shake, but there was no word of distress calls to civil defense authorities.

A spokesman for the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Navy Cmdr. Bradley Fagan, said the tremor shook store shelves but there was no reported damage or unrest among the 174 detainees.

Santiago and Guantanamo are located near Cuba’s eastern tip. The quake was centered about 500 miles (810 kilometers) east of the capital, Havana.