NEW YORK – A small earthquake was reported in New York City on Tuesday morning and could be behind reports of an explosion on Roosevelt Island.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the magnitude 1.7 earthquake was reported in Astoria, Queens, around 5:45 a.m. EST at a depth of about 3 miles.
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL TOPS 50 AS RESCUERS BATTLE AFTERSHOCK TO FIND SURVIVORS
According to a report from FOX 5 New York, the fire department responded to reports of a “building shaking and explosion” in the area of 580 Main St., which is just south of Roosevelt Island Bridge & Tram.
“About 5:45 or so, all of a sudden, I felt my bed moving, and the building moving, and a very loud sound,” Georgette Sinclair told FOX 5. “I woke up and thought there was an earthquake.”
According to the USGS, more than 130 people reported feeling the shaking, but there have so far been no reports of any damage or injuries.
THESE ARE THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES ON RECORD
The FOX Forecast Center says the magnitude 1.7 earthquake in New York City is now the strongest to occur within New York City limits since a magnitude 2.4 earthquake on Oct. 27, 2001. It’s also the eighth earthquake within New York City limits since 1970.
The most recent earthquake to shake New York City before Tuesday was a magnitude 0.9 earthquake centered in Long Island City on June 25, 2019.
Tuesday’s earthquake in New York City came just hours after a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was reported northwest of Washington, D.C., and was felt from Maryland to Virginia.