Puerto Rico hit with another major earthquake as aftershocks continue
Puerto Rico was hit by yet another aftershock on Friday, with a 5.2 magnitude earthquake striking the island just days after its largest quake in decades.
According to Reuters, Friday’s earthquake took place at 6:26 p.m. local time, its epicenter located approximately two and a half miles from Indios on the southern coast.
The U.S. territory was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, as well as aftershocks, which left at least one dead and homes and crucial infrastructure destroyed. {mosads}
Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced declared a state of emergency earlier this week in response to the quakes, as did several mayors of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipios.
President Trump has since approved federal emergency funding for the island.
It’s unclear what new damage may have been caused by the latest earthquake, but reports from earlier in the week show hundreds of homes were destroyed and a major power plant on the island was so severely damaged that two-thirds of customers, totaling millions, were left without electricity.
The New York Times reported Friday that three people had died from heart attacks in addition to a man killed by a collapsed wall.
The Friday quake was just one of dozens of aftershocks.
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