Strong quake in southern Guatemala jolts residents, felt in El Salvador

GUATEMALA CITY/SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) -A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the southern Pacific coast of Guatemala late on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), causing some to flee their homes and with early reports of damage to buildings.

The quake was also felt in neighboring El Salvador.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, just past midnight, while many slept.

Officials in El Salvador described the quake as "strong" and said they were monitoring developments.

The earthquake's epicenter was near the Guatemalan town of Taxisco, about 60 miles (100 km) south of the capital Guatemala City, where alarms sounded and some frightened residents evacuated their homes.

USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 108 km (67 miles).

Parts of the facade of a church in the town of San Pablo Jocopilas, northwest of the quake's epicenter, fell down, said Guatemala's emergency services agency CONRED.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City and Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Additional reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by William Mallard)