Earthquake shakes Puerto Rico's northern coast

By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Staff

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the waters just north of Puerto Rico at 11 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

There is a small possibility of a local tsunami, according to the National Weather Services Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, but analysts do not believe a destructive, widespread tsunami is a threat, according to the organizations official website.

The earthquake struck about 35 miles north of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Several villages along the northern coast felt the tremor, according to the Associated Press.

Massachusetts is home to more than 270,000 people of Puerto Rican descent, according to the Census Bureaus 2012 American Community Survey. They are the largest Latino group in the state, and are prominent in Boston, Holyoke, Worcester, Springfield, and Lawrence.

The news from Puerto Rico comes on the heels of the fourth anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude quake that shook Port-au-Prince in Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, killing tens of thousands and causing mass distruction to the Caribbean Island.

Globe Staff Maria Sacchetti contributed to this report. Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com.

Source: http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2014/01/13/earthquake-shakes-puerto-rico-northern-coast/cBznoUjmbCIn6rzksUhoPO/story.html