A powerful earthquake struck the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, initially reported to have a magnitude of 8.0 by geologists, although such values are often revised later. The US authorities issued a tsunami warning.

The earthquake occurred at 18:23 local time (0:23 CET), with the epicenter located south of the Cayman Islands at a depth of 33 kilometers.

Reports of damage or casualties were not initially available. On average, such a powerful earthquake occurs only once a year worldwide. It often leads to severe damage within a range of several hundred kilometers. Countries that may be affected, therefore, could include Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Cuba.