Massive 5.2 Earthquake Hits the Dominican Republic

An earthquake has hit the Dominican Republic this morning sending stunned locals and tourists into a frenzy.

The tremor had a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale with the epicentre reportedly near the town Guayubin on the island.

The United States Geological Survey registered the depth of the quake at 8.7 miles.

Twitter user Mills took to social media asking: "Anyone else just feel an #earthquake in Santiago, Dominican Republic?!"

Ernest Sacarello tweeted: "Just heard from a friend in Dominican Republic had an earthquake that shook the whole island."

The country is a popular holiday destination for sun-seeking Brits, with thousands of tourists descending on the nation each year.

It was also felt in neighbouring Haiti, which was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake in 2010.

That quake registered at an enormous 7.0 on the Richter scale with two aftershocks following at magnitudes of 5.9 and 5.5.

The official death toll of the 2010 disaster was put at 222,570 officially but some estimates suggest up to 100,000 more may have perished.