The Turks and Caicos Islands were among the countries in the western Caribbean that felt a 7.2 magnitude earthquake though not as intense as other parts of the region.
In addition to the Turks and Caicos, the major tremor was felt in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
The earthquake struck 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
According to reports, the major tremor has sent shock waves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes for fear that buildings might collapse, and sparking a regional tsunami warning.
That made the earthquake bigger and shallower than the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti 11 years ago, killing tens if not hundreds of thousands of people, flattening buildings and leaving many homeless.
Many Jamaicans have taken to social media expressing their fright at the heavy tremor. So far, there has not been official reports of death or destruction across the region though there are unverified images touted have been caused by the earthquake being posted.
Cuban authorities said there were no reports yet of material damage, deaths or injuries.