The arch collapsed during the quake on Monday, which caused damage to buildings around the island. A subsequent earthquake on Tuesday triggered a state of emergency.
Guayanilla resident Denniza Colon called the arch collapse of the arch “sad“ and added that ”it was one of the biggest tourism draws of Guayanilla,” she told the newspaper.
Puerto Rico, which is situated between the North America and Caribbean tectonic plates, is susceptible to earthquakes. Significant damage has been done in the past during tremors.
“This is one of the strongest quakes to date since it started shaking on December 28,” Angel Vazquez, emergency management director for the city of Ponce, told The Associated Press on Monday. “It lasted a long time.”
Vazquez said all public sector offices except for emergency services would remain closed on Tuesday while emergency plans were implemented. The emergency order and activation of the National Guard were later published on an official government website.
The quake, which was initially reported as a 6.6 magnitude, was the latest in a series of quakes that started on Dec. 28, 2019. It was the strongest yet.
The quake hit 5.4 miles (8 kilometers) south of Indios, 7 miles north of Guayanilla, and 14 miles east-northeast of Ponce. The temblor hit at 4:24 a.m., at a shallow depth of about 6 miles.
