An earthquake and at least one aftershock struck northern Honduras andnearby Guatemala early Thursday morning local time as most people were asleep.The initial 7.1-magnitude quake was centered about 80 miles northeast of LaCeiba, Honduras, near the resort island of Roatan.
The shallow quake, which was a "strike and horizontal slide event," did notgenerate a tsunami, despite earlier fears. Sometimes quakes that cause the sealevel floor to rise or fall can generate a tsunami, depending upon themagnitude of the quake.
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a tsunami watch was putinto effect, but was later discontinued for Honduras, Belize and Guatemala.
An aftershock of 4.8-magnitude rumbled a short time after the mainevent.
As of the early morning hours Friday, the death toll from the quakes hoveredat six. Four of the six were children. Officials fear the death toll could risesignificantly as debris is cleared away.
The quake and aftershock damaged dozens of buildings and destroyed dozensmore. In the town of El Progreso, the Democracy Bridge, which spans the UluaRiver, collapsed. A stadium wall collapsed, as did multiple wooden houses and awater tower. Fires broke out in at least one community. Electricity and theinternet were reported to be out in a significant part of the region.
Story by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski andMeteorologist Katie Storbeck.
