Magnitude 7.0 Offshore Quake Rattles El Salvador

The country's civil defense office said there are no immediate reports of damages or injuries from the quake

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake rattled El Salvador's Pacific coast Thursday, but the country's civil defense agency said there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

Lina Pohl, the country's environment minister, said there was a tsunami alert, with the possibility of waves 6 feet (3 meters) high along the coast. But authorities later lifted the alert.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the 12:43 p.m. (1843 GMT) quake was about 92 miles (149 kilometers) south-southwest of the port of El Triunfo, El Salvador.

El Triunfo is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of San Salvador, the capital, where the quake was felt strongly.

Nicaragua, meanwhile, was already under alert after Hurricane Otto made landfall on the country's Caribbean coast.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat message, saying tsunami waves are possible within 300 km of the epicenter along the coast of Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Honduras. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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