(2 May 2020) A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck near southern Puerto Rico on Saturday, briefly knocking out power and forcing the relocation of at least 50 families on an island where some people still remain in shelters from previous quakes earlier this year.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but in the coastal city of Ponce the earthquake cracked walls, flung goods off supermarket shelves and caused a second-storey balcony to collapse.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of nine kilometers near Ponce and the towns of Guanica and Guayanilla, where hundreds of homes were destroyed by a quake in early January that killed one person and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Officials inspected damage neighborhood by neighborhood as rescue crews fanned out across the region.
Gov. Wanda Vázquez said the 50 families that have to relocated will not be placed in shelters given concerns about the coronavirus contagion.
She also urged Puerto Ricans to stay home even if they want to drive to the island's southern region to help those affected and distribute food as they did earlier this year following the 6.4-magnitude earthquake.
Nerves are already frayed in many parts of the island as Puerto Rico continues to recover from Hurricane Maria, a string of strong earthquakes and the new coronavirus.
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