A 5.5 magnitude earthquake jolted the southern Puerto Rico on Saturday morning, followed by several aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The earthquake struck around 7:15 a.m. local time near Tallaboa, about 80 miles southwest of the capital of San Juan. The USGS, which later updated the magnitude to 5.4, said the latest tremor was an aftershock of the Jan. 6 earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude.
Although there was no immediate report of casualties, hundreds of people across the island reported feeling weak to moderate shaking.
Mayita Melendez, mayor of Ponce where much of the damage to buildings and roads was reported, urged residents to stay away from the city center.
"We will keep doing rounds all across the city to assess the structural damage in order to save lives in danger," Melendez tweeted. "We are going to keep everyone posted with updates on the current situation."
Citing Puerto Rico's Seismic Network, Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced said the earthquake was associated with a series of quakes beginning in December. The governor said on Twitter that despite a decrease in magnitude and intensity of recent earthquakes, "we must always be prepared."
Puerto Rico is under a stay-at-home order until May 25 in response to the novel coronavirus. Melendez said in an earlier tweet that city authorities were assessing the damage of the earthquake "while maintaining necessary COVID-19 precautions."