Guatemala ? A powerful earthquake shook Guatemala and parts of neighboring nations Wednesday, sending residents of Guatemala City rushing into the streets for safety. Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.

The 6.8 magnitude quake struck at 1:29 p.m. and was centered 70 miles southwest of Guatemala City off the Pacific coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Officials said the earth shook for 49 seconds.

Benedicto Giron, spokesman for the National Disaster Reduction Center, said there had been some landslides in the southwest province of Escuintla but damage assessments were not yet known.

The quake was felt strongly in neighboring El Salvador, where some people ran into the streets in the capital of San Salvador, but the Red Cross there said it had no reports of damage or injury. It was also felt in the Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border.