No damage as magnitude 6.8 quake shakes Central America

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Central America shook El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua on Tuesday, though without any immediate damage reported, according to Salvadoran authorities.

The quake was registered at 6:22 pm (0222 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean, about 66 kilometers (41 miles) south of the Salvadoran coast, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS originally recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.5. The Salvadoran Ministry of Environment issued an updated reading of magnitude 6.8.

“Based on the data reviewed, there is still no tsunami threat for El Salvador,” it said on Twitter.

The Salvadoran military specified that the earthquake originated from the point where the Cocos and Caribbean tectonic plates collide.

Salvadoran civil protection authorities reported they were monitoring for damage in different areas of the country.

In Honduras, the early warning coordinator for the Permanent Contingency Commission, Juan Jose Reyes, told reporters that the earthquake was felt “throughout the country,” most intensely near the Gulf of Fonseca, the body of water shared with El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Central America registers a high amount of seismic activity due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is home to many volcanoes.