Earthquake shakes Caribbean near Martinique

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful but very deep earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck near the Caribbean island of Martinique on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said.

The quake hit at 5 p.m. British time (3 p.m. local) 13 miles (21 km) northwest of the island, at a depth of 90 miles (145.4 km), it said. Earthquakes with a deep epicenter are less likely to cause damage.

Martinique is a French territory in the eastern Caribbean.

The U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre noted the quake, but said that a tsunami was not expected along the coasts of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico states, and Eastern Canadian provinces.

The agency said that no tsunami warning or watch was in effect.

Another U.S. agency, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, issued a separate statement for Caribbean countries except for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It said that a tsunami was not expected in the Caribbean because of the depth of the quake.