Earthquakes of magnitude 5.1 and 6.8 strike Portugal’s Madeira and Guatemala respectively (Update)

A moderate earthquake rattled the Portuguese island of Madeira in the early hours on Wednesday, scaring residents but causing no damage or injuries, the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) said.

The IPMA said the 5.1 magnitude quake, with an epicentre in the ocean, 45 km south of Madeira’s capital, Funchal, struck at a depth of 30 km and was felt with the maximum intensity of V on the Mercalli scale in the councils of Camara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Sao Vicente.

A V intensity quake is defined as moderate and is usually felt by residents of the vicinity and is capable of breaking some windows and overturning unstable objects.

Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake was of magnitude 6.1.

A second earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck Guatemala on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 96 km (60 miles), EMSC said.

Guatemala‘s disaster agency, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), pegged  the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.8.

Images shared by the agency on social media showed landslides and fallen trees blocking certain routes following the earthquake.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The initial temblor was followed by two aftershocks of above magnitude 4 in the region, according to EMSC.