Hamburg/Tegucigalpa - A strong quake measuring at least 7.1 points struck offshore from the Central American country of Honduras early Thursday. US seismology officials put the strength of the quake at 7.1 points, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said it measured 7.3 points.
There were no initial reports about damage or human casualties.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning to Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and other Caribbean areas except for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
However, only government agencies had the authority to take decisions on official alerts, the centre said.
The 30-second quake was caused by a collision between the Caribbean and North American plates, said seismography expert Gonzalo Carias from the Honduras National Autonomous University.
US seisomology officials said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres and some 320 kilometres north-east of the capital Tegucigalpa.
The quake occurred at a distance of 63 kilometres from the touristic Roatan Islands, according to reports in Spain.
