The earthquakes that affected the southwestern Dominican Republic on Tuesday, 13 January 2015 caused the collapse of a salt mine that took two lives, the closure of several schools and widespread panic. The victims were named as Salvador Garcia, 60 and Edgar Batista, 20, who were working in the salt mine at the time of the tragedy. Until now, 26 aftershocks have been registered since the first quake occurred early on Tuesday, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale.
An aftershock measuring 3.04 caused the salt mine in Puerto Alejandro in the municipality of Jaquimeyes, Barahona, to collapse, burying the two workers.
A total of 22 aftershocks were registered in the area between the municipal district of Polo and the town of Cabral, the strongest measuring 3.04. This led the Ministry of Education to order the closure of public and private schools in Barahona and Pedernales provinces until Monday, 20 January 2015.