A 6.1-magnitude quake was felt in Florida, where Thomas Tuchel’s squad are training ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Costa Rica, thought to be the strongest the region has seen in 150 years
England’s training camp has been rocked by a terrifying earthquake just before their final World Cup warm up game. A 6.1-magnitude quake was felt in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Thomas Tuchel’s squad are training ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Costa Rica.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located off the west coast of Cuba, about 400 miles away from Central Florida, and was recorded at 2pm local time on Tuesday. It was the strongest the region has seen in 150 years.
Tremors were felt as far away as Flagler County, further north than West Palm Beach. The quake was also felt across central Orlando, Miami and Jacksonville. Buildings in those cities were evacuated after they started swaying in the aftermath of the quake.
It is thought to be the most powerful earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico – a region that typically doesn’t see them – in nearly 150 years. The National Weather Service confirmed there is no danger of a tsunami hitting the US.
The Service tweeted: “We’ve received several recent reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida within the past 30 minutes. An earthquake has occurred just west of Cuba in the southern Gulf.”
Daniela Maquer from Boca Raton, Florida, said she knew something was wrong when she felt swaying and vibrating. She told local media: “It wasn’t normal and I said let me stop reading.
“And then I said no no no. Let me put my shoes just in case because I’m from Venezuela and we used to have earthquakes there. It like reminded me of the past.”
Florida is not typically associated with earthquakes, but seismic activity in Cuba and the Caribbean region can occasionally be felt across the state due to the area’s proximity to active fault zones.
An earthquake that strong has not hit since 1880, when a 6.0 temblor hit near San Cristobal, Cuba.
Local authorities have not yet reported any major damage or casualties, but fears are mounting it may have caused a severe emergency situation in Cuba, where decades of economic crisis have left buildings in severe disrepair.
The England squad touched down in Florida last week ahead of two warm-up games to prepare for the World Cup. Tuchel’s men are training in West Palm Beach, but will move over to their tournament base in Kansas City when it kicks off.
The Three Lions face Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Wednesday.