A strong earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude has hit near the island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean, the US Geological Survey has said.
The earthquake struck at 1500 (1900 GMT) off the north-west coast of Martinique at a depth of 145.4 kilometers (90.4 miles)
No casualties have been reported and no major tsunami warning has been given.
There have been unconfirmed reports that some buildings have collapsed in Martinique's capital, Fort-de-France.
There were also reports that the islands of Guadeloupe and Dominica had felt the quake strongly.
The tremor was felt hundreds of miles away in South America. In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, some people evacuated office buildings, Reuters news agency reported.
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 