Mexico City, Mexico – A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Pacific Ocean near southern Mexico this morning, followed by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in parts of Guatemala and El Salvador.
There have been no reports of damage, but Mexican authorities have issued a tsunami warning.
The quake raised concerns about the nation's earthquake warning system, which failed to warn residents in time.
According to the National Seismological Service of Mexico, the epicenter was located 135 kilometers southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers. National Seismological Administration.
Mexico's Digital Platform for Early Warning and Integrated Risk Management (SASSLA) explained that the earthquake failed to trigger a national warning due to a lack of sensor systems in Chiapas.
“The earthquake was not detected until it reached sensor stations in #Oaxaca (a neighboring state to Chiapas), where the energy no longer exceeded the preset threshold that triggered the #SeismicAlert,” SASSLA said. In X's post.
President Claudia Sheinbaum told a daily press briefing that she had been in contact with the governors of Chiapas and Tabasco states, “So far, there have been no reports of any damage. “ Sheinbaum also relayed a warning from the Secretariat of the Marine Corps to “stay away from area beaches for the next six hours due to the risk of tsunami.”
Around the same time, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala, causing President Bernardo Arevalo and other government officials to evacuate the National Palace of Culture.
Guatemala City resident Marcie Price tells us latin america report: “We are scared by the duration of the earthquake. Usually earthquakes here last three to five seconds, but this one lasted about 12 seconds.”
El Salvador has also felt the effects of the seismic activity, with authorities ruling out tsunami risks, but warning Citizens should be careful when engaging in activities such as swimming, diving or fishing over the next few hours.
Featured image description: Earthquake map.
Featured image credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
