A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off Guatemala’s Pacific coast, reportedly killing at least eight.

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina declared a national alert and advised people in affected areas to evacuate tall buildings as a precaution.

Officials said roads had been buried in landslides, and it would take 24 hours to fully restore links to the region.

Frightened people fled from offices and homes around the region, as buildings shook from Mexico City to San Salvador.

Quake officials said the tremor hit at about 10:35 local time (1635 GMT) about 23km (15 miles) from the coastal town of Champerico.

Firefighters said a school had collapsed in San Marcos region, near the border with Mexico.

The firefighters later said at least eight people had been killed, though it was not clear if the deaths were related to the school collapse.

Secretary Vanessa Castillo, who was moved from her Guatemala City office, told Reuters news agency: “It was really big, I felt quite nauseous.”

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami.

But it added: “Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometres of the earthquake epicentre.”

The region is often hit by quakes, which have periodically caused huge damage and many deaths.

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