GUATEMALA CITY – A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala’s Pacific coastline on Friday evening, causing some adobe homes to collapse in a town near the epicenter. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was 6 kilometres south of Pajapita, and 168 kilometres west of Guatemala City. It had a depth of 67 kilometres.
Guatemala’s fire department issued a statement saying some poorly-built homes were destroyed in the town of Patzicia, located between the epicenter and the capital city.
The Central American nation’s natural disaster agency said that at least three uninhabited homes collapsed, and a highway was blocked by a landslide.
The quake was felt strongly in the capital of Guatemala City, and caused blackouts in some areas, but authorities did not immediately report any damage there.
People ran outside their homes and some motorists stopped their cars in the capital city.
The temblor was also felt in neighbouring El Salvador, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the country.
An 5.4-magnitude aftershock struck minutes later, about 14 kilometres east of Champerico and at a depth of 65 kilometres.
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