M7.3 earthquake near Castries, Castries

What happened

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 18 km WSW of Soufrière, Saint Lucia on 19 Mar 1953, 08:27 UTC at a depth of 129 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Castries, about 31 km away in Castries, Saint Lucia.