Three die in quake sinking
Published:Monday | April 19, 2010 | 6:48 PM
Three women aboard a boat are reported to have drowned in the Dominican Republic when a boat sank in waves produced by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake yesterday.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 4:16 p.m. at a depth of 53.6 miles in the Mona Passage that separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico.
According to Luis Ortiz of the Emergency Operations Centre, information indicates that the boat capsized as a result of the heavy waves that formed after the quake.
No other casualties were immediately reported from the quake, which was felt in the east of the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic is neighbour to Haiti, which was devastated by 7.0 magnitude tremor on January 12.