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Guatemala registers 42 aftershocks and 58 emergencies after magnitude 7.4 earthquake on Mexico border

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the border region between Guatemala and Mexico, causing 58 emergencies and 42 aftershocks in Guatemala.
  • The earthquake's epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chiapas, Mexico.
  • While no fatalities were reported, there were hospitalizations, evacuations, road collapses, and damage to schools and public buildings.

Guatemala confirmed 58 emergencies and at least 42 aftershocks following a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the border region with Mexico on Friday morning. The seismic event, originating from the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Chiapas, Mexico, caused structural damage across several southwestern Guatemalan departments.

Edwin Rojas, director of the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology (Insivumeh), stated the main quake occurred at 8:48 a.m. local time (14:48 GMT). It resulted from a tectonic subduction process between the Cocos and Caribbean plates. Technical monitoring systems also detected a precursor tremor of magnitude 5 at 7:20 a.m.

The earthquake triggered a preliminary tsunami alert due to tidal fluctuations reaching up to 34 centimeters along the coast of San Marcos and the country's southern shore. In response to the heightened seismic risk, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) secretary, Claudinne Ogaldes, announced the immediate activation of the National Response Plan and raised the institutional alert to orange.

The main quake was registered at 8:48 local time (14:48 GMT) and originated from a tectonic subduction process between the Cocos and Caribbean plates.

— Edwin RojasExplaining the geological origin and timing of the earthquake.

Despite the quake's intensity, official preliminary reports indicate no fatalities. However, one person was hospitalized, 11 citizens were preemptively evacuated, three road sections experienced collapses, and cracks appeared in 14 schools and 12 public administration buildings. Conred teams are continuing inspections over the next 24 hours to assess safety conditions in classrooms and vulnerable housing.

Civil protection authorities urged the public to remain calm, follow established evacuation routes, and avoid spreading unverified information that could incite panic.

the secretary of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred), Claudinne Ogaldes, informed the immediate activation of the National Response Plan and the elevation of the institutional alert to orange.

— Claudinne OgaldesDetailing the government's immediate response to the seismic event.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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