6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Guatemala, El Salvador

A major earthquake has struck off the coast of Guatemala, damaging buildings and downing trees as well as causing powerful tremors in neighboring El Salvador.

The quake, measured at a magnitude of 6.8 by the US Geological Survey, struck 38 kilometers southwest of Puerto San Jose at a depth of 46.8 kilometers on Thursday.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

A deeper earthquake of similar magnitude struck the interior of Guatemala last week, killing at least two people and damaging buildings.

Edwin de Leon, a spokesman for fire services in Guatemala, told local radio that the quake had damaged some houses.

"There are buildings with collapsed roofs, but we don't have casualties," de Leon said.

El Salvador's emergency services said it had no initial reports of casualties, and the government said on Twitter no tsunami alert had been issued as the result of the quake.

Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico's civil protection authority, told Reuters the quake was felt in the state of Chiapas on the Guatemalan border, but said there were no initial reports of damage.

A spokesman for emergency services in Honduras said the quake was felt in the west of the country, but that there were no reports of damage.

(Source: Reuters)

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