7,2 earthquake shakes Nicaragua as they await the arrival of Hurricane Otto

A strong earthquake, of magnitude 7,2 on the Richter scale, has been noticed in Nicaragua and in neighboring countries, who were preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Otto. Nicaraguan authorities have decreed a state of emergency, and they watched the western shores for a possible tsunami warning that, thankfully, was withdrawn a couple of hours later.

The Government had already decreed a red alert for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Otto, which reached category 2 according to the report issued by the National Hurricane Center yesterday. The cyclone was considered a "highly dangerous" hurricane; however, it is expected to degrade soon.

Earthquake in Nicaragua: intense, but no damage to regret

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Usulután, in El Salvador, 100km from the capital. He checked in at 12.45:XNUMX (local time), and felt from Guatemala to Costa Rica. And if that was not enough, Five aftershocks of magnitudes 4 and 5 were also recorded in the epicenter area. At the time of writing this article, No injuries or casualties have been reported.

The Salvadoran Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Lina Pohl, asked the population to be as calm as possible and to avoid using telephones unless necessary. The government has also ordered that residents living in coastal areas stay away from beaches.

Hurricane Otto: where are you now?

Otto right now it is located on the west coast of Costa Rica, a place where unfortunately it has caused the death of at least one person and leaving at least six others missing. President Guillermo Solís said at a press conference that for the moment he was not going to speculate on the possible figures. "It is a sad day for Costa Rica."

Otto's strong winds, of more than 150km / h, dropped trees on houses, and its torrential rains flooded the town of Upala, bordering Nicaragua, where some 17.000 people live.

This sad story has finally come to an end. Otto has gone from being a hurricane to being a tropical storm, and is expected to drift away from shore in the next few hours.