A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Tuesday morning, shaking buildings in the capital, Guatemala City, and sending tremors across the borders into El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was centred 43 kilometres south of the coastal town of Puerto San Jose, at a depth of 35 kilometres. It struck at 14:54 UTC on Tuesday, 10 November.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and authorities in El Salvador and Nicaragua said there was no risk of a tsunami.

Buildings shook in Guatemala City

Residents of Guatemala City reported buildings swaying during the tremor, which was felt across much of the country's Pacific coast and highlands. The shaking was also felt in neighbouring El Salvador and Nicaragua, where civil protection authorities monitored the situation but reported no damage.

Guatemala's disaster agency, CONRED, cited a local magnitude estimate of 5.2 for the offshore event and published fresh guidance reminding residents how earthquake alerts work and what to do when one sounds.

A seismically active coastline

Guatemala sits in one of the most seismically active regions of the Americas, where the Cocos tectonic plate slides beneath the Caribbean plate off the country's Pacific coast. Earthquakes off Puerto San Jose, the country's main Pacific port, are a regular occurrence.

Puerto San Jose, in the department of Escuintla, is Guatemala's busiest Pacific port and a hub for cargo and fishing. The town lies on a low coastal plain, and its residents are accustomed to tremors from offshore quakes. Local authorities reported no disruption to port operations following Tuesday's earthquake.

No tsunami threat

Civil protection authorities in El Salvador and Nicaragua said the earthquake posed no tsunami risk to their coastlines, despite the tremor being felt in both countries. The earthquake's depth of 35 kilometres, and its location offshore rather than beneath a densely populated area, limited its impact on land.

Guatemala's disaster agency said it would keep monitoring the area for aftershocks, which commonly follow offshore earthquakes of this size, and urged residents to keep emergency supplies ready and to know their nearest safe meeting point.

The latest tremor follows a magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck southern Guatemala on 16 September, underlining the frequency of seismic activity in the region.

What happens next

Emergency officials said they would continue to monitor for aftershocks and asked residents to follow official guidance from CONRED rather than rumours on social media. No tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific coast, and ports and airports continued to operate normally.

The USGS and Guatemala's disaster agency will publish updated assessments if further seismic activity is recorded in the area. Sources: Reuters and Qatar News Agency.