Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries immediately after the earthquake, but damage to buildings was reported.
- The earthquake was also felt in El Salvador late Friday night.
- The earthquake occurred shortly after midnight while many people were sleeping.
- Alarms sounded telling residents to evacuate their homes.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Guatemala's southern Pacific coast on Friday night, causing some residents to flee their homes and prompting the first reports of damage to buildings.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the earthquake, which was also felt in El Salvador.
Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries immediately after the earthquake, which occurred shortly after midnight while many people were sleeping.
Authorities in El Salvador described the earthquake as “strong” and said they were closely monitoring the situation.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near the city of Taxisco, Guatemala, which is located about 60 miles (100 km) south of the capital city, Guatemala City.
Alarms rang across the city and many frightened residents were forced to evacuate their homes.
According to Guatemala's emergency services agency CONRED, parts of the facade of a church in the town of San Pablo Jocopilas, northwest of the earthquake's epicenter, fell.
The USGS reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 108 kilometers (67 miles).
