Powerful earthquake hits Mexico-Guatemala border, triggering tsunami alert

A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador. Authorities have not immediately reported any severe damage or casualties in any country but the earthquake triggered a tsunami alert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicenter 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas and at a depth of 9 miles. It was preceded by a smaller quake with an epicenter a bit farther out in the ocean.

In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, the tremor began mildly but gradually intensified.

“We were upstairs on the second floor when it started shaking; we thought it would pass, but then it got stronger, so we all went downstairs and evacuated in an orderly manner to the front courtyard,” Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in the city, explained to The Associated Press.

In Guatemala City, the earthquake frightened residents because of how long it lasted. Many people poured into the streets in the middle of rush hour as the workday was beginning.

In the Mexican capital, where buildings in certain areas creaked and shook, the earthquake alert did not sound because, the government said, “the energy radiated by the earthquake during the first few seconds did not exceed the activation thresholds.”

In the town of Suchiate, located along the river that separates Mexico from Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for tsunami risk, according to Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System warned that hazardous tsunami waves were possible along coasts located within 186 miles of the epicenter.

The earthquake comes as Venezuela is struggling to get back on its feet after twin tremors on June 24 killed over 4,800 people and caused hundreds of buildings in the coastal state of La Guaira to crumble.