Magnitude 7.3 quake hits Mexican coast near Guatemala, tsunami alert lifted

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Mexican coast near Guatemala on Friday, causing widespread tremors across southern Mexico and parts of Central America. Seismologists confirmed the quake, which initially prompted a tsunami alert for a section of the Pacific coast before being lifted. The US Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicenter approximately 48 kilometers off the coast of the town of Aquiles Serdan, at a depth of 18 kilometers. Residents in the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, as well as in Guatemala and El Salvador, felt the intense vibrations. According to AFP journalists, the tremors were strong enough to cause panic among residents. In Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas, scenes of alarm emerged in the city’s few tall structures. A government employee named Araceli Sanchez described her experience during the quake, recounting how she fled a 15-story building after feeling the ground shake violently. “It feels horrible up there,” she told AFP. “There were people who cried,” she added after descending the emergency stairs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated she had communicated with the governors of the affected regions, while Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales assured officials that there were no serious consequences. In Guatemala City, authorities ordered the evacuation of several buildings and suspended classes in areas close to the Mexican border. Alexander Valdez, a 29-year-old accountant, shared his fear, saying the quake reminded him of the recent disasters in Venezuela. “I got really scared and it reminded me of the recent earthquake in Venezuela. So I ran out and went down the stairs because I live on the eighth floor. The shaking wouldn’t stop,” he told Reuters. Similarly, Adolfo Zacarias, a 43-year-old customer service worker living on the third floor of his building, took refuge beneath a structural column during the quake. He noted that the memory of the recent earthquakes in Venezuela heightened his sense of fear. “I think the memories of what recently happened in Venezuela came back to us and that scared us a lot,” Zacarias said. Venezuela continues to recover from a series of devastating earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. Two major tremors, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, occurred within minutes of each other in the north-central region, leading to the collapse of buildings in Caracas and surrounding coastal areas. The disaster triggered an extended search and rescue operation, leaving many families displaced and communities in need of aid. Although Mexico City, which has endured two significant earthquakes, first in 1985 and again in 2017—is over 800 kilometers away from the epicenter, some residents reported feeling the tremors. Some tall buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The region, including Mexico and Central America, lies on several tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active zones globally. The movement of these plates frequently results in earthquakes, often with considerable impact on local populations.