At least 2 dead as strong quake hits Mexico, Guatemala

Screengrab from www.usgs.gov

PALENQUE, Mexico–A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked parts of southern Mexico and Guatemala on Monday, killing at least two people as shockwaves toppled walls and caused landslides.

The US Geological Survey–which revised down the magnitude from 7.1–said the quake struck the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Chiapas state at about 1124 GMT at a depth of 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The epicenter was located just two kilometers from the Mexican town of Puerto Madero, and 200 kilometers from Guatemala City.

No tsunami warnings were issued for the area.

In Mexico, one man was reported dead in the town of Huixtla after a wall fell on him, the Chiapas state civil protection department said on Twitter.

And in Guatemala, a newborn baby died in a hospital in the western San Marcos department when part of a ceiling lining fell, President Otto Perez said at a press conference.

He added that an elderly woman passed away from cardiac arrest, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the death was related to the quake.

David de Leon, spokesman for the country’s disaster response agency said officials were “currently making the rounds to determine if there are people dead or injured and to evaluate the damage.”

Guatemala’s civil protection authorities, which declared an alert, said at least 20 people were injured and about 20 homes destroyed.

Some roads were blocked by landslides triggered by the quake, and the country’s minister of education canceled classes in five departments as a preventative measure, after several schools suffered damage.

In Mexico, buildings and highways were cracked, and mountain roads collapsed, authorities said.

At the airport in Tapachula, ceilings caved in but flights were still operating.

Authorities were assessing damage in other areas of Chiapas, one of Mexico’s poorest states.

Tremors could be felt some 670 miles away in parts of Mexico City where “for the moment there is no damage or injuries,” Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said.

The quake was also felt in El Salvador, where no injuries or damage was reported.

Mexico is prone to seismic activity, with earthquakes occurring most often along the Pacific coast. This was the 33rd seismic event in Chiapas this month, according to the civil protection department.

Western Guatemala was rocked by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in November 2012. Forty-four people were killed.

Originally posted:  7:57 pm | Monday, July 7th, 2014

RELATED STORIES

Strong quake strikes off Mexico—USGS

Strong earthquake shakes Mexico City