Two Earthquakes Shake the Caribbean Monday Night — Residents Rattled but No Reports of Damage

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Caribbean residents were shaken up late Monday night as two earthquakes struck just hours apart, jolting several islands and sending many rushing from their homes in fear.

According to the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, the second and stronger quake hit at 11:36 p.m. (local time) with a magnitude of 4.2 and a depth of 11 kilometres.

The tremor was felt across parts of Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and St Kitts and Nevis, with reports indicating the epicentre was located 52 km north-northeast of St John’s (Antigua and Barbuda), 101 km northeast of Brades (Montserrat), and 116 km east-northeast of Basseterre (St Kitts and Nevis).

Earlier in the night, at 9:09 p.m., a magnitude 3.5 quake shook the region, recorded at a depth of 20 kilometres. That earlier tremor was felt 83 km northeast of Basseterre, 117 km northwest of St John’s, and 135 km north of Brades, according to the SRC.

Though there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, many residents took to social media describing the shakes as “short but strong”, while others said it “felt like a heavy truck passing under the house.”

One St. Kitts resident told McKoy’s News, “Mi did just a drop asleep when di bed start move! Mi heart skip a beat, mi swear is a spirit pass through di room!”

Officials are reminding the public that earthquakes can occur without warning and are urging citizens across the region to stay alert, secure heavy items in homes, and know safe zones in case of future seismic activity.

The SRC continues to monitor the situation closely and says these small quakes are part of the region’s ongoing tectonic activity, a reminder that the Caribbean sits within a seismically active zone.

For now, life has returned to normal across the islands — but after two jolts in one night, many say they’ll be sleeping a little lighter for a while.