AFP: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala today, killing "around 10" people, causing panicked evacuations as far as Mexico City and a tsunami alert in El Salvador, firefighters said.           

The victims died in the Guatemalan town of San Pedro Sacatepequez, some 250 kilometres west of the capital Guatemala City. "Reports from colleagues in the area indicate that there are around 10 dead," firefighters' spokesman Sergio Vazquez said in a telephone interview.           

Communication was difficult in the area because phone lines fell and several places were without power, Vazquez said. The Guatemalan national disaster response agency (Conred) had confirmed only one death.        

In El Salvador, the president ordered people in a coastal area to evacuate their homes over fears of a potential tsunami.  

Image: People stand outside the building of the supreme court after an evacuation due to an earthquake, in Guatemala City 

Photograph: Reuters