SAN SALVADOR (REUTERS) - A shallow earthquake in El Salvador shook buildings in the capital on Thursday afternoon (Jan 11), emergency services said, though there were no immediate reports of damage.

Alarms sounded as locals evacuated buildings in the capital, San Salvador, according to a Reuters witness.

The Environment Ministry said on Twitter that the quake measured at magnitude 4.0, after issuing a preliminary estimate of 4.3. The quake was measured at a depth of 4km, the ministry noted.

The ministry of the Central American country said the earthquake's epicentre was in San Marcos, a municipality a few miles south of the capital.

The US Geological Survey did not report any earthquake occurring in El Salvador on Thursday, but did show a 5-magnitude quake in Costa Rica earlier in the day.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, local emergency services said.

On Tuesday, a 7.6-magnitude quake struck in the Caribbean near remote islands belonging to Honduras. Although the quake could be felt across northern Central America, there have been no reports of deaths or major damage.