An earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude hit western Nicaragua on Thursday evening, leaving at least 23 people injured in one town, and an aftershock 20 miles to the south followed.
The earthquake shook houses and at least 23 people were injured from falling walls, ceilings, and other objects in Nagarote, located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Managua. The town and areas around it were apparently the hardest hit, with more than 100 houses damaged, said Guillermo Gonzalez, director of the disaster prevention agency.
Three of the injured people were taken to a hospital in Managua. Health official Enrique Beteta said their injuries are not life threatening.
“One has trauma in an ankle, the other in a leg and a 16-year-old boy in his lower back after a portion of a wall fell on him,” Beteta told the radio station Radio Ya.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 5:27 p.m. local time (23:27 GMT), and was centered on the northern shore of Lake Managua, about 6 miles west of Valle San Francisco. The earthquake originated 6 miles below the surface of the Earth.
Nicaraguans reported feeling a strong aftershock minutes later that the USGS said was a 5.1-magnitude quake centered 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Ciudad Sandino.
“There are no injuries, no loss of life so far, nor even any significant material losses,” Nicaraguan government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo reported on local radio.
Authorities reportedly suspended classes on Friday in the cities of Leon and Managua.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
