Puerto Rico declares emergency after strong earthquake

Wednesday, 8 January 2020 07:45

Hours after a deadly 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico, Governor Wanda Vazquez has declared a state of emergency.

There have been at least 51 aftershocks, killing at least one person and causing structural damage to roads and bridges.

Several homes and buildings have been left without power, with Vazquez confirming that it will be restored within 24 to 48 hours.

Schools and public offices have been ordered shut on Wednesday, while officials inspect the structural safety of the buildings.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at 4:24 am (local time) and was centered just off Puerto Rico's southern coast.

More from International News

France shuts schools as heatwave grips Europe

More than a thousand schools were closed in France on Tuesday and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was shut to tourists as a severe heatwave continued to grip Europe, triggering health alerts across the region.
Blow for Thailand's government as court suspends PM from duty

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, in a major setback for a government under fire on multiple fronts and fighting for its survival.
Trump signs order lifting sanctions on Syria, White House says

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, allowing an end to the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.
Suspect in murders of four Idaho college students to plead guilty

Former criminology graduate student Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to killing four Idaho college students in 2022, a move that would spare him the death penalty under a deal with prosecutors, according to the family of one of the victims.