Magnitude 6.8 quake hits Bolivia, affects neighboring Brazil, El Salvador

WASHINGTON –An earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude rattled Bolivia on Monday, causing no damage or casualties but panicking residents as far as neighboring Brazil and El Salvador. 

The epicenter of the quake, recorded at 10:40 a.m. local time (1340 GMT), was 557 km beneath the ground, rocking an area some 300 km southeast of the southern Bolivian city of Sucre, according to the U.S. Geological Service. 

The tremor, while shaking high rises, seemed to have caused no major damage in the South American nation. There was no report of casualties either, according to media reports citing Bolivia's San Calixto Seismological Observatory.

 
However, in Brazil, where the quake was also felt, people in tall office buildings in metropolises like Sao Paulo and Brasilia were seen evacuating in panic, according to video footage. 

Images posted online by Agencia Brasil showed buildings of several government ministries were evacuated while firefighters were taping off entryways for inspection. 

Brazil rarely gets hit by earthquakes. Some residents told local media in Brasilia the one that just happened was the strongest they had ever experienced. 

Meanwhile in El Salvador, Bolivia's northern neighbor, authorities said a quake at 6.0 magnitude hit later on the same day. 
The country's Ministry of Environment said the tremor was recorded at 5:23 p.m. (2323 GMT) in San Vicente district, triggering an alarm in the capital San Salvador, where people were seen rushing out of stores. 
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