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7.3 quake triggers tsunami alert
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of southern Mexico, prompting a tsunami threat alert for Mexico and Central America.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred in the Pacific Ocean approximately 48 km southwest of Aquiles Serdán in Chiapas State, Mexico, with the depth of the epicenter determined to be approximately 15.2 km.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat alert for the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Central America, and strong tremors were also detected in neighboring Guatemala and El Salvador.
In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, the tremor began mildly but gradually intensified, and Alejandra Mendoza said, “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.”
Officials say no serious effects
Mexico’s Secretary of the Navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, said there were “no issues” in the country following the quake and that “There is no serious damage.”
ABC News reported that authorities had not immediately reported any severe damage or casualties in any country, and Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) reported no immediate damage.
In Guatemala City, Alexander Valdez told Reuters that “The shaking wouldn't stop,” after residents poured into the streets as the workday began.
France 24 reported that the US Tsunami Warning System was later lifted, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had spoken to the governors of the affected states and Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales said, “There are no serious effects.”
Aftershocks, monitoring, and beach advisories
The quake was preceded by a 4.7-magnitude foreshock, and ABC News said there were at least five aftershocks between magnitude 5.1 and 6.
“A powerful earthquake in southern Mexico shook nearby countries Guatemala and El Salvador, with the US Geological Survey (USGS) measuring its preliminary magnitude at 7”
The navy recommended staying away from beaches for six hours because of tsunami risk, and the Meteorological Service of Chiapas alerted that there could be tsunami waves up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) off the coast of Mexico and Guatemala.
In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, AFP journalists reported scenes of panic in the city’s few tall buildings, and Araceli Sanchez, a government employee in a 15-story building, said, “It feels horrible up there,” after fleeing down the emergency stairs.
The Mexican seismological service recorded more than 30 aftershocks of various magnitudes, measuring as high as 6.8, while the US government issued a tsunami warning for Pacific coastal areas of Mexico and Guatemala before later saying the threat had passed.
