Powerful earthquake in Mexico shakes Guatemala and El Salvador

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.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.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.Source: CNN-Agencies