San Juan, January 7 (RHC)-- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake was reported Tuesday in Puerto Rico, causing material damage to several areas and leaving at least one person dead, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. 

The earthquake, which was the second one this week, knocked out the electrical grid inside Puerto Rico, leaving much of the country without power, Reuters reported.  On Monday, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the same Puerto Rican town that left heavy damage and power outages in different parts of the island nation.

In Punta Ventana, on the south coast of Puerto Rico, a famous stone arch, a natural tourist spot, collapsed due to the earthquake.  A few hours later, there was a new earthquake of a 5.1 magnitude whose epicenter was located 9 kilometers south of Tallaboa, located in the municipality of Peñuelas.

The earthquake on Tuesday, however, was much larger and more destructive, as at least one person was killed and two more wounded.  “We want everyone to be safe.  That is why all work in the public sectors has been suspended today, so that you can be with your family, implementing your emergency plans,” Governor Wanda Vazquez tweeted.  The Governor has encouraged everyone to remain calm and to follow the instructions of the local authorities to ensure their safety. 

Puerto Rico has been devasted by natural disasters in the past, including two back-to-back hurricanes in 2017 that left over 3,000 people killed.