Guyana rocked by 5.7 earthquake

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake was felt in parts of Guyana this afternoon.

The country's Civil Defence Commission (CDC) said it  received reports of an earthquake of shallow depth of 10 kilometres (km) with an epicentre near Boa Vista on the border with Brazil today at 3:05 p.m. (local time).

The United States Geological Survey listed the earthquake as 5.7 on the Richter Scale and located the epicentre at 83 km south south east of the town of  Lethem.

The CDC says shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones, as they are closer to the surface.

The Regional Emergency Operations Centre reported that the tremor was felt in Region 9, but there were no reports on any losses or damage.

The CDC says that it will continue to monitor the event thorough the National Emergency Monitoring System and provide updates as the information becomes available.

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