A ‘moderate’ earthquake measuring magnitude 5.4 was just recorded 78 kilometres east of Montserrat.
The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre issued details of the tremor on its Facebook page.
It said the earthquake occurred at 10.43am on 8 May at the coordinates, latitude 16.86N and longitude 61.55W, and at a depth of 10 kilometres under the sea.
The closest cities to the epicentre were Saint John’s in Antigua at 44 kilometres away, then Pont-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe at 66 kilometres away, followed by Brades in Montserrat.
Social media users said they felt the earthquake in Antigua, Dominica, Nevis, St Kitts, Montserrat and Sint Maarten.
One person said: “I felt it. Watched the TV on the wall shaking”, another said: “roaring sound heard” and a third wrote: “really heavy”.
In a Facebook post, the Disaster Management Coordination Agency, wrote: “Remember, during earthquakes, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly.
“Be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.”
Anyone who felt the earthquake can report it to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre here.
Guidance on how to plan and prepare for earthquakes is available on the UWI Seismic Research Centre website here.
