The Punta Ventana stone arch in Guayanilla in southwestern
Puerto Rico collapsed during a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday.
Another earthquake, of 6.4-magnitude, struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday,
and was followed three hours later by an aftershock measuring 6.0.
The stone arch, a popular spot for photographers and hikers,
was adjacent to the Guanica State Forest & Biosphere Reserve. The natural
rock formation was shaped like a round stone window with a view of the ocean
along the coastline in Guayanilla.
The earthquake rocked the southern coast of the island
before sunrise on Jan. 6. It lasted several minutes and was the strongest in a
string of quakes that have occurred in Puerto Rico since Dec. 28.
Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean reported that the
Lighthouse in Guanica, another landmark in the same area as Punta Ventana, was
damaged.
“There has been minimal damage to a few hotels in the Porta
Caribe and Porta del Sol tourism regions,” Dean said. “It does not appear that
areas outside the southern region of the island were impacted.”
Luis Munoz Marin Airport in San Juan, the San Juan Cruise Port,
the Puerto Rico Convention Center and attractions and hotels in northern Puerto
Rico were not impacted by the earthquake.
There was no tsunami threat following the quake.