A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Central America, with shaking felt across parts of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, seismologists say. No tsunami warnings were issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The earthquake, which happened at 6:22 p.m. local time on Tuesday, was centered about 76 kilometers southeast of San Miguel in El Salvador or 94 kilometers west of Chinandega in Nicaragua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake measured 6.5 and struck about 69 kilometers below the seabed. El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment put the magnitude higher, at 6.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minor damage has been reported at multiple locations but there were no immediate reports of injuries. Tremors were felt across parts of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Long and strong,” a resident in San Salvador, about 163 kilometers from the epicenter, told EMSC. Several other people in the region gave similar descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to computer models from the USGS, as many as 13 million people may have felt Tuesday’s earthquake, including an estimated 755,000 people who may have experienced “strong” shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No tsunami warnings have been issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records, the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami,” the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central America sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin which is prone to large earthquakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WATCH: Strong earthquake hits El Salvador pic.twitter.com\/uvPOu3LYLS<\/a><\/p>— BNO News (@BNONews) July 19, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>