ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — A minor earthquake was felt in at least two parishes early Sunday.

According to the University of the West Indies’ Earthquake Unit, the tremor had a magnitude of 3.3 and was felt in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth and Ebony Park, Clarendon.

Well-known Treasure Beach transport operator Darren James says he was fast asleep at his home in the south coast tourist haven early this morning when he was jerked awake by a quake which was “very hard” but didn’t last long.

“Vroom! The thing just jump me right out of my sleep… didn’t last no time, just a couple of seconds,” James told OBSERVER ONLINE by telephone.

He left his bed and went outside to find talk of the tremor — which shook at shortly after 5:30am — on every tongue, James said.

The earthquake, which was recorded at 5:40 am, was located 26 kilometres offshore Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth and had a focal depth of 16.3 kilometres.

Further west in Black River, one resident reported feeling a “slight vibration” while another stayed fast asleep.

A resident in Mountainside said he was standing in front of his fridge when “the thing started shaking”. He thought at first it was a heavy truck passing his house but then he realised there was no truck. He claimed the shaking lasted about five seconds.

In Santa Cruz, the tremor was very mild and appeared to last no more than a second.

In Alligator Pond, well-known restaurateur, Evrol Christian knew nothing about the tremor when OBSERVER ONLINE checked.

“I was fast asleep, I felt nothing and haven’t heard anybody say anything about it,” he said.

But in high altitude Mandeville, one early riser said she felt the tremor. “It was very faint but the chair in which I was sitting gently shook,” she said.