A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook Central America's Pacific coast. The quake this 2014 had caused some damage and left one person dead in El Salvador.
According to a report by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the strong El Salvador earthquake this 2014 has struck off the coast of the Central American nation, stimulating an alert for a possible tsunami threatening its shores, as well as Nicaragua and Honduras.
The US Geological Survey said that the 2014 earthquake struck late Monday, 67 kilometers west-southwest of Jiquilillo off the coast of El Salvador and Nicaragua with a depth of 40 kilometers. According to the Huffington Post, the USGS also issued a "yellow alert" for possible aftershock-related fatalities and economic losses.
CNN reported that El Salvador's Ministry of Weather and Natural Resources initially issued a tsunami caution for the coastal regions, saying the quake was felt all over the nation. It was later lowered to a tsunami alert.
Emergency services in El Salvador said a dozen Usulután homes had been slightly damaged but the coastal areas looked calm and the country's international airport was unaffected, as Reuters reported.
Mayor Wilfredo Salgado of the city of San Miguel in El Salvador said on his social media account that a man was killed when an electricity post fell on him. He also posted some photos presenting slight structural damage of the local hospital. Crews responded to at least 12 collapsed homes. In addition, the power in the city was cut off but has been mostly restored.
In 2001, two powerful earthquakes a month apart killed over 1,150 people between them, and left hundreds of thousands homeless. And two years ago, El Salvador was again struck by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, prompting a brief tsunami caution but causing no major damage or casualties.
The El Salvador 2014 earthquake was also felt in the Nicaraguan capital Managua and other cities, but according to the officials, no immediate injuries or damages were reported.
However, a preventive state of alert was announced by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, along the coast because of possible aftershocks.
Emergency services in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala as well as in Panama also stated they had no initial reports of damage or injuries. Nicaraguan presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo urged coastal residents to seek out higher ground in case of a tsunami. However, electricity and cell phone service in some areas of Nicaragua were cut off.
Because of the El Salvador earthquake this 2014, classes in schools were cancelled nationwide for Tuesday. And a magnitude 5.3 aftershock was felt in Costa Rica.
