Mexico City, Mexico – A magnitude 7.4 earthquake was recorded in the Pacific Ocean near southern Mexico this morning, followed by a 5.6-magnitude tremor which shook parts of Guatemala and El Salvador.
No damage has been reported so far, but a tsunami alert was issued by the Mexican authorities.
The earthquake has raised concerns about the national seismic alert system, which failed to warn residents in time.
The epicenter was located 135 km southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico’s Chiapas state, at a depth of 10 km, according to the country’s National Seismic Service.
The earthquake failed to trigger national warning alerts due to a lack of sensor systems in Chiapas, explained Mexico’s Digital Platform for Early Warning and Comprehensive Risk Management (SASSLA).
“The earthquake was detected until it reached the sensor stations in #Oaxaca (a neighboring state to Chiapas), where its energy no longer exceeded the pre-set thresholds for triggering the #SeismicAlert,” SASSLA said in a post on X.
In her daily press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had been in contact with the governors of Chiapas and Tabasco and that “no damage had been reported so far.” Sheinbaum also relayed the Marine Secretariat’s warning “not to come close to beaches in the area in the next six hours due to tsunami risks.”
Around the same time in Guatemala, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake was registered, causing President Bernardo Arévalo and other government officials to be evacuated from the National Culture Palace.
Marcie Price, a Guatemala City resident, told Latin America Reports: “We were scared for the duration of the earthquake. Usually they last three to five seconds here, but this one was around 12.”
The effects of the seismic activity were also felt in El Salvador, where authorities ruled out tsunami risks, but warned citizens to be careful with activities such as swimming, diving or fishing in the next hours.
Featured image description: Map of the earthquakes.
Featured image credit: United States Geological Survey.
