El Salvador hit by massive 7 magnitude earthquake as a tsunami warning is issued
The quake hit around 75 miles south west of Puerto El Triunfo about 6 miles beneath the surface
A TSUNAMI warning has been issued after a 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of El Salvador.
The quake hit around 75 miles south west of Puerto El Triunfo about 6 miles beneath the surface, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
An alert has been issued for a 186 mile stretch of coastline on the Pacific coasts of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.
An official from the Salvadorian Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources said in a video statement: "There was an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale which was ten miles deep at its epicentre.
"Please stay calm and if you don't need to ring anyone then please leave the lines free for people who need to use them.
"We're not expecting any aftershocks. But we're monitoring the situation."
The Pacific tsunami warning centre said: "Hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the earthquake epicenter."
Emergency services in El Salvador said on Twitter there were no immediate reports of damage at a national level, but urged those living along the country's Pacific coast to withdraw up to 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) away from the shore.
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The 7.0 magnitude quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.2, was very shallow at 10.3 kilometers (6.4 miles) below the seabed, which would have amplified its effect.
Its epicenter was located some 149 km (93 miles) south-southwest of Puerto Triunfo in El Salvador, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that tsunami waves of up to 1 meter (3 feet) could hit the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua and El Salvador after the quake.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared a state of emergency due to the quake and Hurricane Otto, which landed on the country's southeastern coast earlier on Thursday, his spokeswoman said.
"We were serving lunch to the lawmakers and the earthquake started and we felt that it was very strong," said Jacqueline Najarro, a 38-year-old food seller at the Congress in San Salvador.
"We were scared."
Earlier on Thursday, the Category 2 Hurricane Otto hit land near the southeastern coast of Nicaragua, where thousands had already been evacuated away from vulnerable coastal areas and into shelters.
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