Residents across Antigua and Barbuda have been describing scenes of fear, confusion and relief after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck northeast of the country on Saturday morning.

According to the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the University of the West Indies, the earthquake occurred at 10:50 local time at a depth of 31 kilometres.

Preliminary data placed the epicentre at latitude 17.39 north and longitude 61.18 west, approximately 80 kilometres northeast of St John’s. The tremor was also located about 132 kilometres northeast of Brades and 132 kilometres north-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre.

The SRC said the location was generated automatically by computer algorithms and remains preliminary pending further review by analysts.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, although residents across several communities reported strong shaking. Social media platforms were quickly flooded with reactions from people who said the earthquake was among the strongest they had experienced in years.

One resident on Old Parham Road said items “fell off the shelves” during the tremor, while others in Yorks, Powells, Liberta and New Winthorpes also reported intense shaking.

“It was super strong,” one user wrote, while another described the quake as “very big and heavy and long”. Some residents said they initially struggled to understand what was happening.

“I thought my husband was playing a trick on me,” one woman commented online after feeling the shaking while in the shower. Others described scenes of panic in public spaces. One commenter claimed people rushed out of a hardware store on Old Parham Road as the shaking intensified.

Questions about conditions in different communities continued circulating online in the aftermath, with residents asking for updates on roads and neighbourhoods.

Many people also turned to prayer and religion following the quake. Several social media users described the earthquake as a warning, while others expressed gratitude that the situation had not been worse.

“Thank God for your grace and mercy towards us,” one resident wrote.

The eastern Caribbean experiences frequent seismic activity because the region lies near the boundary of the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. Tremors are often felt across multiple islands in the region.