A significant 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Cuba on Sunday while the country was struggling to recover from recent power outages and hurricane impacts, as reported by officials.

The United States Geological Survey stated that the quake was caused by mainly strike-slip faulting occurring at a shallow depth within the Septentrional-Oriente Fault Zone.

The earthquake was located approximately 25.3 miles from Bartolomé Masó, a municipality in Granma Province, according to the agency.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel mentioned in a translated social media post, “We have contacted the first secretaries of the Party in Santiago de Cuba and Granma, which are provinces affected by the recent earthquakes. There are reports of landslides, damage to houses, and power lines.”

He added, “We urge residents in these areas to evacuate to open spaces. We are starting to assess the extent of the damage to initiate recovery efforts. Our primary concern is to save lives.”

Cuba Faces Ongoing Challenges from Blackouts and Storms

This earthquake follows a time when millions of Cubans experienced prolonged blackouts due to widespread failures at power plants in October.

The Antonio Guiteras power plant, Cuba’s largest and most efficient facility, was the first to go offline during Hurricane Oscar, a Category 1 storm, taking power away from the entire country.

Last week, the country’s electrical grid suffered additional setbacks due to the severe impact of Hurricane Rafael, which was depicted in videos shared with NBC News, showing extensive flooding and destruction to homes and roads.