6.0 QUAKE SHAKES PUERTO RICO

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Puerto Rico late Monday, rousing and scaring many from their sleep in the U.S. territory.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 49 miles off the island’s northwest coast at a shallow depth of 6 miles. Three aftershocks, of magnitude 4.7 and 4.6, hit within less than an hour in the same region at the same depth.

Kiara Hernández, spokeswoman for the island’s Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press that there were no immediate reports of damage and that there was no risk of tsunami.

Hernández said crews would be inspecting buildings to ensure their safety.

The quake was felt across Puerto Rico and was the strongest to hit the island in recent years. While Puerto Rico experiences very small earthquakes on a daily basis that no one feels, seismologists have said it’s rare for bigger ones to strike the island.

The last strong quake to shake the island in recent years occurred in January 2014, when a magnitude-6.4 tremor struck after midnight just north of the island’s north coast at a depth of 17 miles. Some 70 aftershocks were reported afterward, with at least three of a magnitude 3.5 or greater.