4.8 Magnitude earthquake felt in Jamaica

(Jamaica Observer) A 4.8 Magnitude earthquake occurred at 03:34: AM this morning, 102 km NNE of Port Maria, Saint Mary, and 140 km (87 miles) NNE (17°) from KINGSTON, Jamaica.

The quake was reportedly felt in sections of Kingston, St. Andrew, Portmore and Spanish Town.

Residents reported being woken out of bed after feeling houses shaking and the sounds of roofs rattling.

A quake with a magnitude of 5.4 had also struck northeastern Japan yesterday, near the zone devastated last year by the massive earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear crisis.

The U.S. Geological Survey says yesterday’s earthquake struck at 2:25 a.m. local time (1725 GMT) about 24 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mito, the capital of the Ibaraki Prefecture on the main island of Honshu.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the quake. No tsunami warning was issued.

Today’s quake falls close to the one year anniversary of last years March 11, 2011 quake and tsunami which left more than 21,000 people dead or missing in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture.