PM says he was meeting with central bank governor at Royalton when he felt the shaking

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he was meeting with the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank at the Royalton resort when Saturday morning’s powerful earthquake struck the Leeward Islands region.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred shortly before 11 a.m. east of the Leeward Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Tremors were felt across Antigua and Barbuda and several neighboring Caribbean territories, including St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and the Virgin Islands.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries, and tsunami monitoring agencies said the earthquake was not expected to generate a tsunami.

Speaking on Pointe FM after the quake, Browne described the experience while recalling that he had been in a breakfast meeting with ECCB Governor Timothy Antoine at the time.

“Yeah, I was actually at Royalton. I had a meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank,” Browne said.

The prime minister said the shaking initially caught him off guard.

“We’re at the Royalton, we’re having breakfast, and I swear the building was walking,” Browne said.

“It was really long too,” he added.

Browne also joked that his first reaction was confusion over what was happening.

“I said, look, Governor, this thing about to drop a hole outside here,” he said while recounting the moment the tremors intensified.

The earthquake was widely felt throughout Antigua and Barbuda, with residents across the country reporting prolonged shaking in homes, offices and businesses.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at a depth of about 59 kilometres and was centered east of Antigua and Barbuda.