An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale has shaken Nicaragua on Thursday afternoon, leaving 14 people injured, 2 of whom are ina critical condition. 89 houses have been affected, according to the country's government. President Daniel Ortega has declared a warning level of yellow as a precaution, given that authorities have counted at least 350 aftershocks to the quake, six of them with a rating higher than four on the Richter scale.
The epicentre of the earthquake was registered in the lake of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, which has a depth of 10 kilometres. Following the seismic movements, electricity and cell phone service were temporarily shut off. In the streets of Managua there have been vivid images of chaos as the traffick has been brough to a standstill with traffic lights not working. Rosario Murilo, the government spokesperson, has called for calm and caution as aftershocks have been felt every ten minutes.
The U.S. Geological Survey indicated that the earthquake struck at 5:27 p.m. local time (23:27 GMT), and was centered about 11 miles (18 kilometers) southeast of the city of Larreynaga. It had a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). The earthquake comes in the wake of numerous powerful quakes that have rocked northern Chile in recent weeks with even a tsunami issued for the country's northern coastline. There have been no reported deaths in Nicaragua.
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