A huge earthquake has struck off the Pacific Coast of Central America shaking the region and triggering a tsunami warning.

The earthquake came just as a hurricane made landing on the coasts of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The 7.0 magnitude quake was very shallow at 10.3km below the seabed, which would have amplified its effect.

Its epicentre was located some 149km south-southwest of Puerto Triunfo in El Salvador, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has warned that tsunami waves of up to 3 feet could hit the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras after the quake.

M7.2 eq off El Salvador at 18:49UTC 24 Nov 2016. Possible tsunami along coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras. No hazard elsewhere.

— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) November 24, 2016

Residents living along the pacific coast of El Salvador are being urged to withdraw up to 1km inland, away from the shore.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has declared a state of emergency due to the quake and Hurricane Otto; which landed on the country's southeastern coast earlier on Thursday.

Thousands of local residents had already been evacuated away from vulnerable coastal areas and into shelters as a result of the hurricane.