7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Caribbean, some islands urge residents to leave coastlines
Mexico City (AP): A magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook the Caribbean Sea southwest of the Cayman Islands on Saturday, according to the US Geological Survey, and some islands and countries urged people near the coastline to move inland in case of a tsunami.
The quake struck at 6:23 pm local time in the middle of the sea and had a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said. Its epicenter was located 130 miles (209 kilometers) south-southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami alert for the U.S. mainland but issued a tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which was later cancelled.
The sounding of alarms in Puerto Rico's northwest region caused people to leave coastal areas and caused heavy traffic, according to local media.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands urged residents near the coast to move inland and to higher ground. It said wave heights of 0.3 to 1 meter are expected.
Puerto Rico Gov Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon said in a statement she is in contact with emergency agencies after the tsunami advisory, but did not recommend anyone leave the coast.
The Dominican government also issued a tsunami alert and recommended residents on the coast move to high areas “of more than 20 meters of altitude and 2 kilometers inland.” But it later cancelled the alert.
The Cuban government requested people to leave beachfront areas. The Bahamas Department of Meteorology also issued a tsunami advisory, but urged its residents only to be “vigilant.”
Honduran authorities said there are no immediate reports of damages, but urged its residents to stay away from beaches.
Later, the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said “tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible along some coasts of Cuba.”
“Actual amplitudes at the coast may vary from forecast amplitudes due to uncertainties in the forecast and local features,” the NOAA said in a report.
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17,969 acres Wakf property encroached in Karnataka, mostly by Muslims: Minister Khan
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Wakf & Minority Welfare B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that 17,969 acres of Wakf property have been encroached upon in the state, mostly by Muslims themselves.
The minister was responding to a question by Afzalpur Congress MLA M Y Patil during the Question Hour.
"Total Wakf property across the state is 1,12,860 acres, out of which only 20,054 acres is in our hands. As many as 17,969 acres have been encroached, 47,263 acres have gone under the Inam Abolition Act and 23,627 acres have gone under the Land Reforms Act," Khan said.
He said that after the Congress government came to power and he became the department's minister, Wakf Adalats were held across the state aimed at removing encroachments.
Noting that 1,12,860 acres of Wakf land were given not by the government, but by private individuals and organisations for the welfare of the community, the minister said encroachments on Wakf property are mostly by the Muslim community itself, not by temples or other communities.
"Encroachments on Wakf land are not by others, they are done by Muslims themselves. Wakf Adalats were held to remove those encroachments, but the BJP made it an issue," he said, adding that encroachment issues are being resolved.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka intervened and said the BJP's objections were not about removing encroachments by Muslims on Wakf land, but about farmers' land, land belonging to schools such as the one studied by Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, and in some cases land belonging to temples, among others, being claimed as Wakf land.
The BJP is in fact in favour of an investigation into the encroachment of Wakf properties, he said.
Responding to this, the minister clarified that the government is not laying hands on any temples or educational institutions by claiming them as Wakf property.
"To identify encroachments by private people, mostly Muslims, Wakf Adalats were held," he added.
