BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, November 29 – The United States Geological Survey has reported that a magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck near Martinique.

ABC news is also reporting that a 3 year old girl was killed and her sister is in critical condition when a wall collapsed in Guadeloupe. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1248684.htm

The earthquake struck the island at 3 p.m. local time approximately 13 miles (21 km) northwest of the island, at a depth of 90 miles (145.4 km).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement for Caribbean countries excluding  Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands indicating that a tsunami was not expected in the Caribbean due to the depth of the quake.

In addition, the U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center noted that no tsunami warning or watch was in effect. According to the centre, no Tsunami’s were expected along the coasts of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the U.S. Atlantic.

Girl killed in Guadeloupe earthquake

A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale has killed a three-year-old girl, injured numerous people and caused widespread damage in Guadeloupe.

The fire and rescue service says the girl was crushed by a collapsed wall in Trois-Rivieres on the island Basse-Terre and died on her way to hospital, while her seven-year-old sister was in critical condition.

There were also numerous injuries and widespread property damage on Terre-de-Bas, one of the Saints islands, that are located just south of Basse-Terre, the French overseas department’s main island.

The quake struck at 11:50 GMT with the seismological institutes in Guadeloupe and continental France putting its epicentre south of the Saints islands towards neighbouring Dominica, numerous aftershocks were recorded.

Most of Terre-de-Basse’s 1,300 inhabitants had gathered on the field of the island’s only stadium.

« People whose homes are intact don’t want to go back to them and we are going to have to set up a tent village, » a fire and rescue service officer said.

Many homes and public buildings suffered damage, with the church partially collapsing.