A strong earthquake of 7.4-magnitude on the Richter scale hit several Caribbean holiday islands late Thursday, killing at least one person and damaging buildings.

Residents of Martinique and Barbados fled their homes after the earthquake hit the area.

It was felt all the way to Venezuela and Puerto Rico. In Martinique two people were injured, and in Barbados the emergency services chief was hurt while he was helping the population, AFP reports.

More than 31,000 people and thousands in Guadeloupe lost electricity.

In Martinique an elderly woman died after suffering a heart attack due to the panic caused by the earthquake.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter was at 14 miles northwest of Martinique, triggering the collapse of buildings on the French island and Barbados.  

The quake struck around 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT), and damaged houses and water pipes in St. Lucia, St. Vincent and nearby islands.

Due to its depth, of 90 miles, there was no threat of a tsunami, according to Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.

Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Centre in Golden, Colorado said: “I wouldn't expect major damage because the quake has some depth.”

In Barbados a woman was trampled just as workers fled an office building in Bridgetown, and another woman broke her leg when she tried to run out of the house, Guardian Unlimited states.

In Martinique police helicopters were searching for casualties.

A Martinique police official said: "For the moment, a building and a bank have collapsed.”

In the main city of Pointe-a-Pitre, in the French territory of Guadeloupe, were reported fires.

In Fort de France, Martinique, people took shelter under the tables, or rushed out of the buildings or jumped out of windows.

The quake lasted more than 30 seconds, by the sayings of a resident.  

According to USGS geophysicist Stuart Sipkin, earthquakes are uncommon in the Caribbean but not unheard of.

He said: “Earthquakes of this magnitude aren't nearly as common (in the Caribbean) as they are in the Pacific Rim. They've occurred in the past, and there have even been tsunami-producing earthquakes in the Caribbean. There just hasn't been one for quite a while. But things that happen when you get deeper earthquakes is that even though the shaking at the surface is not as strong, it's felt over a wider area.”