A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of El Salvador, killing at least one person.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.4 quake struck late Monday in the Pacific Ocean about 169 kilometers (105 miles) southeast of the capital, San Salvador, at a depth of 70 kilometers (43 miles). But the quake was strong enough to be felt as far as the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.
Wilfredo Salgado, mayor of the city of San Miguel in El Salvador, says a man was killed when an electrical pole collapsed and fell on him. There were no other reports, so far, of damages or fatalities.
Middle of the night
Residents in that city were awoken in the middle of the night and headed to local shelters for cover.
"I was in fact sleeping. And then I felt something, woke up and the first thing I did was pray to God. And then I looked for my sneakers to leave," Managua resident Reyna Toledo told Reuters.
Relief workers were on hand to help the Managua residents.
A tsunami alert issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for the coasts of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras initially after the earthquake has since been lifted.
Some material for this report came from Reuters.
