A powerful but deep earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck near the Caribbean island of Martinique today, the United States Geological Survey said.
"So far" there have been no reports of damage in the region, said Richard Robertson, head of the seismic research unit of the University of the West Indies.
He added that no tsunami warning had been issued because of the depth of the quake, a statement echoed by the US West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
An eyewitness on Martinique, a French territory in the eastern Caribbean, said the earth shook for what felt like several minutes.
The quake hit at 7pm (Irish times) 13 miles (21 km) northwest of the island, at a depth of 90 miles (145.4 km), the USGS said. Earthquakes with a deep epicenter are less likely to cause damage.
It was felt as far away as Colombia. In the Venezuelan capital Caracas, some residents evacuated office buildings.
There were no reports of injuries or damage to property in Venezuela and the state oil company said it had no reports of any of its installations being affected.