Powerful earthquake in Mexico shakes Guatemala and El Salvador

Originally Published: 17 JUL 26 11:33 ET

Updated: 17 JUL 26 12:53 ET

By Uriel Blanco and Merlin Delcid, CNN

(CNN) — A powerful earthquake in southern Mexico shook nearby countries Guatemala and El Salvador on Friday, with the US Geological Survey (USGS) measuring its preliminary magnitude at 7.3.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located 48 kilometers southwest of Aquiles Serdán, a town in the Mexican coastal state of Chiapas, according to the USGS.

The quake appears to have caused moderate to severe shaking along the coast. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has cautioned that hazardous tsunami waves could be possible within 300 km of the epicenter. Tsunami waves up to one meter above the tide level are possible for the coasts of Guatemala and Mexico, the center said.

Guatemala’s seismology institute later said the threat from tsunamis was low.

Mexico’s Secretary of the Navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, stated that there were “no issues” in the country following the quake.

“There is no serious damage. Regarding maritime conditions, water levels at some beaches are expected to rise by up to half a meter due to the earthquake. The public is advised to stay away from beaches for the time being,” Morales Ángeles said at the end of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily morning press conference.

The Chiapas Civil Protection has reported at least two injuries: One person was hurt after jumping from the third floor of a building, and another was injured when a door fell at a car dealership. Authorities have also responded to gas leaks and reports of collapsed walls, detached ceiling panels, cracks and other minor structural damage.

Salomón Jara Cruz, the governor of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, said that the quake was felt “with moderate intensity” in the state’s capital city and that “no significant damage” has been reported.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said no fatalities have been reported yet and that emergency response plans are being deployed.

El Salvador’s fire department also reported that no damages have been seen in the country so far.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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