Magnitude 7.3 quake hits near Mexico-Guatemala border
The Pacific coast quake was felt as far as Mexico City and El Salvador, with a tsunami warning issued for nearby coastlines.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast on Friday near the Guatemala border, shaking communities across the region and prompting a tsunami alert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Authorities had not immediately reported major damage or casualties in any country after the quake, which was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake’s epicenter was about 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas. USGS reported the quake hit at a depth of about 9 miles.
According to USGS, a smaller earthquake struck beforehand, with its center farther offshore in the Pacific.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said dangerous tsunami waves were possible along coastlines within 186 miles of the epicenter. In Suchiate, a town by the river dividing Mexico and Guatemala, Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo said coastal zones were being watched for tsunami risk.
The quake rattled Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, where the shaking grew stronger after a mild start.
Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative worker at a public hospital in Tapachula, told The Associated Press that staff were on the second floor when the building began to move. She said they first expected the shaking to pass, then went downstairs and evacuated to the front courtyard after it intensified.
In Guatemala City, the length of the tremor alarmed residents, according to the AP. Many people headed into the streets during rush hour as the workday was getting underway.
Reuters photographed people leaving a building in San Salvador, El Salvador, after the powerful quake off the coast of Chiapas.
Mexico City also felt the quake, with some buildings creaking and swaying in parts of the capital. The city’s earthquake alert did not activate.
The government said the alert stayed silent because the energy detected in the first seconds of the quake did not pass the system’s activation threshold.
The Mexico-Guatemala border region sits along the Pacific coast, where residents are accustomed to earthquake risk. Friday’s quake brought a fast official response focused on monitoring the coast while authorities checked for damage.
The tremor came weeks after Venezuela was hit by twin earthquakes on June 24. Those quakes killed more than 4,800 people and left hundreds of buildings collapsed in the coastal state of La Guaira, according to Agence France-Presse reporting cited in the report.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.