On the afternoon of Friday, June 26, a moderate-strength earthquake hit off the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, triggering widespread public panic and mandatory evacuations across multiple regions of the Caribbean nation.
Data published by multiple global earthquake monitoring platforms confirms the tremor registered a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was located 52 kilometers south of Boca de Yuma, a municipal district situated in the eastern province of La Altagracia.
Shaking from the quake was strong enough to be detected and felt by residents in several provinces across the country, sending people rushing for safety in public and private spaces alike. In the country’s National District, dozens of witnesses confirmed to local leading newspaper Listín Diario that a range of organizations had cleared their buildings as a preemptive safety measure.
Precautionary evacuations were not limited to office facilities: public squares, government institutions and private residential buildings also emptied out as people followed emergency safety protocols. Notable sites that evacuated included the Dominican Ministry of Public Administration, the Council of Economic Advisors to the country’s executive branch, and the Acropolis commercial center, among other high-occupancy locations.