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USGS: 5.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Puerto Rico

A Puerto Rican flag hangs within the rubble, after it was placed there where store owners and family help remove supplies from Ely Mer Mar hardware store, which partially collapsed after an earthquake struck Guanica, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday, killing one man, injuring others and collapsing buildings in the southern part of the island. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

GUANICA, Puerto Rico (WFLA/AP) — A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Puerto Rico Tuesday morning, according to the United State Geological Survey website.

The quake struck Guanica, Puerto Rico at 10:36 a.m., affecting many islands in the Caribbean.

More than 1,280 earthquakes have hit Puerto Rico’s southern region since Dec. 28, more than two dozen of them magnitude 4.5 or greater, according to the USGS. Among them was a 6.4 magnitude quake that hit on Jan. 7, killing one person and injuring nine others, and a 5.9 magnitude aftershock that occurred Saturday, causing further damage.

Government officials say the quakes have caused a preliminary $110 million in damage, toppled part of a famed rock formation landmark and damaged or destroyed more than 550 homes.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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