El Salvador hit by quake

At about the same time as the earthquake near Seattle, a big tremor struck off the coast of El Salvador -- the third in recent weeks.

The quake caused several landslides, but there were no reports of injuries.

Almost twelve-hundred people were killed in the two other earthquakes which had hit El Salvador since the beginning of the year. On Wednesday, the United Nations estimated the damage at almost two billion dollars.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service