Honduras, Jan 10: An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude on Richter Scale struck off Honduras coast near Great Swan Island on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The powerful quake hit at 8:51 PM local time about 125.4 miles north, northeast of the coast of Barra Patucca, Honduras. The epicenter of the quake was reported at a depth of 10 kilometers.
A tsunami warning has also been issued for parts of Central America. As per reports, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter. These areas include: Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. No casualties or damage to property was reported at the time of filing this report.
Earlier in 2009, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Honduras resulting in death of seven persons, injury to 40 others and leaving over 130 buildings damaged.
(More details awaited)