3.7 magnitude earthquake hits Nicaragua

A magnitute-3.7 earthquake rattled the Pacific coast of Nicaragua at 09:40 local time on Friday.

The shake raised the alarm of the population, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, daily La Prensa reported.

The epicenter was located north of Lake Masaya, southwest of Managua, said the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter) in a statement.

A seismologist for Ineter, Greyving Argüello, said the quake occurred at a depth of less than a mile and explained that it was caused by a “local faulting process.”

According to reports, the quake was felt strongly in the provinces of Masaya, Granada, Rivas and Managua.