A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shakes El Salvador but there are no initial reports of damage

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — A strong earthquake drove frightened residents of El Salvador’s capital into the streets Thursday morning, but there was no immediate report of damage or deaths.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.8. The epicenter was 5 miles (9 kilometers) east of Acajutla at a depth of 59 miles (95 kilometers).

El Salvador’s Environmental Ministry reported preliminarily that the earthquake was centered along the Central American country’s Pacific coast, southwest of Santa Ana.

Videos posted on social media show items falling from shelves in a supermarket and throngs of people gathered in the street, but no immediate signs of major damage.

On Sunday, a 6.2-magnitude temblor shook El Salvador, though there were no deaths reported or serious damage reported.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

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John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.