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Major quake strikes off Honduras Major quake strikes off Honduras
(about 3 hours later)
A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Honduras, sending tremors that were felt across the region. A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Honduras, killing one person and causing widespread damage.
There were unconfirmed reports that one person had died and several homes had collapsed, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties. The earthquake hit 64km (39 miles) north-east of Roatan, one of Honduras's Isles de la Bahia in the Caribbean Sea, in the early hours of Thursday.
The earthquake hit 64km (39 miles) north-east of Roatan, one of Honduras' Isles de la Bahia in the Caribbean Sea, in the early hours of Thursday.
A tsunami watch was put in place for Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
But it was called off after the danger passed.
Rapid currents
The 7.1 magnitude quake struck at 0324 local time (0824 GMT) at a relatively shallow depth of 10km (six miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
It was really strong. I have never felt anything like that Raul GonzalezHotel receptionist in north Honduras
Tremors were felt in dozens of cities across the region and as far north as Cancun in Mexico.Tremors were felt in dozens of cities across the region and as far north as Cancun in Mexico.
People in Guatemala City ran into the streets in their pyjamas during the 30-second tremor, the Associated Press reports. Similar scenes were witnessed in Honduras. A tsunami watch was put in place for Guatemala, Belize and Honduras but was called off after the danger passed.
"I ran out of the building and kept going for about a block before I looked back and everything had calmed," said Raul Gonzalez, a hotel receptionist in San Pedro Sula city, northern Honduras. The 7.1 magnitude quake struck at 0324 local time (0824 GMT) at a relatively shallow depth of 10km (six miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
"It was really strong. I have never felt anything like that." People in Guatemala City ran into the streets in their pyjamas during the 30-second tremor, news agencies reported. Similar scenes were witnessed in Honduras.
House collapse
A 15-year-old boy was killed and two other teenagers injured when a house collapsed in Pineda de la Lima, north of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, said national fire chief Col Carlos Cordero.
He also said a bridge which spans the country's largest river, the Ulua, had collapsed in El Progreso in the north-west.
Carlos Gonzalez, deputy director of Honduras's Permanent Emergency Commission, said at least 24 houses had collapsed along the country's Caribbean coast.
He said dozens of workers had been evacuated from factories in the north-western city of San Pedro Sula because buildings had been badly damaged.
Raul Gonzalez, a hotel receptionist in San Pedro Sula, said he ran out of the building when the earthquake struck.
"I kept going for about a block before I looked back and everything had calmed," he said. "It was really strong. I have never felt anything like that."
Your accounts of the earthquakeYour accounts of the earthquake
There were reports of several wooden homes, a bridge and a stadium wall collapsing in northern Honduras. Rescue officials on Roatan - a resort island popular with scuba divers and snorkelers - said the quake had knocked out power and caused minor damage to buildings.
The collapse of a home in La Lima, some 230km (142 miles) north of the capital Tegucigalpa, killed one person and injured another, a Red Cross official told local radio. People were outside their homes and being urged to keep away from the shore, Reuters news agency reports.
People in Honduras and Belize reported household items such as radios, televisions and picture frames crashing on to floors. The Pacific Warning Center in Hawaii discontinued its tsunami alert after 90 minutes, saying the danger of a major tsunami hitting the coastlines of nearby countries had now passed.
The extent of the damage on Roatan, the island nearest the quake's epicentre, was not immediately clear although one report said no major structural damage had been immediately reported.
A Red Cross spokesman told the AFP news agency that it was unable to make contact with Roatan - a resort island popular with scuba divers and snorkellers - in the hour after the tremor as power lines were down.
The Pacific Warning Center in Hawaii discontinued its tsunami alert after 90 minutes, saying the danger of a major tsunami wave hitting the coastlines of nearby countries had now passed.
But it warned that boats and coastal structures could still be affected by rapid currents caused by the quake.But it warned that boats and coastal structures could still be affected by rapid currents caused by the quake.