Nicaragua earthquake: 6.1-magnitude quake rattles west coast

VALLE SAN FRANCISCO, Nicaragua, April 11 (UPI) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook the Pacific coast of Nicaragua on Thursday, causing the destruction of homes and 33 injuries.

More than 1,000 homes were damaged and 17 were completely destroyed by the temblor, which occurred at 5:27 p.m. local time.

The epicenter was located at a depth of 8.1 miles, about 6 miles west of Valle San Francisco and 23 miles east-northeast of La Paz Centro. There were at least 350 aftershocks following the main event, registering between 3.5- and 5.0-magnitude.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega put the region on red alert and school was canceled Friday in Managua and Leon.

[Nicaragua Dispatch] [USGS]