Nicaragua earthquake leaves one dead

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Nicaragua has killed one person, left 33 injured, and damaged more than 800 homes.

President Daniel Ortega declared a state of emergency after Thursday's quake, centred in the Pacific coast region of the Central American nation.

He said it caused significant damage and triggered panic among the population.

The fatality was a 37-year-old woman who died of a heart attack, said officials at Carlos Roberto Huembes Hospital in Managua.

Three of the injured were in serious condition.

"There are thousands of families that lost their homes or saw them seriously damaged," he said.

The quake happened at 2327 GMT (0927 AEST Friday) and its epicentre was about 20 kilometres north of the capital at a depth of 10 kilometres, said the US Geological Survey.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies put the magnitude at 6.2.

The president ordered classes suspended for Friday, and added there were more than 400 aftershocks.

People ran out of their homes in panic, he said. Managua was left without power for a few hours.

The quake was also felt in El Salvador, Honduras and the north of Costa Rica.