Earthquake Off Cuba Rattles Cancún and the Riviera Maya

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake reported off western Cuba was felt across parts of Quintana Roo and the Yucatán Peninsula on Monday, prompting precautionary evacuations at hotels, public buildings, and some airport areas, though authorities said no major damage or injuries had been reported.

According to preliminary information attributed to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake was registered in the northern Caribbean with its epicenter approximately 104 kilometers west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba. Initial reports placed the magnitude as high as 6.4 before it was adjusted to 6.1.

The tremor was reported around midday today June 8, and was felt in several areas of Quintana Roo, including Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Chetumal. Residents in parts of the Riviera Maya described light shaking, brief vibrations, and objects moving inside homes, offices, and hotel buildings.

Governor Mara Lezama said state authorities activated verification and monitoring protocols as a precaution. The review included vulnerable areas, airports, tourist zones, shopping centers, public buildings, and strategic infrastructure.

In Cancún, the shaking led to evacuations at some hotels and buildings, particularly in the Hotel Zone and urban areas where workers and guests reported feeling movement. Plaza las Americas in Cancun was evacuated for safety although no injuries were reported. Local reports also noted citizen accounts from neighborhoods including Regions 230, 232, 235 and 237, as well as Corales, Paraíso Maya and Villas Otoch Paraíso.

The Cancún International Airport continued operating normally, although safety protocols were activated. At the Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum, some areas were partially evacuated as a precaution while staff and passengers waited in designated safe areas and authorities checked conditions.

In Playa del Carmen and Tulum, residents reported feeling the earthquake lightly in several neighborhoods and tourist areas. Chetumal also saw precautionary evacuations, including at public buildings, while Civil Protection officials carried out inspections.

The event came only hours after Mexico’s National Seismological Service reported a separate magnitude 4.2 earthquake near Ticul, Yucatán, at 10:05 a.m., with a shallow depth of five kilometers. That earlier quake startled residents in southern Yucatán, but officials treated it as a separate seismic event.

Earthquakes are not part of daily life in Quintana Roo the way they are in some other parts of Mexico, which likely contributed to the surprise and concern among residents and tourists. Still, the wider Caribbean is seismically active, particularly around major fault systems near Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and the Cayman region.

As of the latest official updates, no significant structural damage, injuries, or service disruptions had been confirmed in Quintana Roo. Authorities urged residents to check homes and buildings for any visible damage, report risks to 911, and rely only on official information.

For many people along the Riviera Maya, the shaking was brief. The reminder was not: even in a region better known for hurricanes than earthquakes, emergency protocols matter.