Powerful earthquake hits Mexico-Guatemala border, triggering temporary tsunami alert

Key Points:

• A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast near the Guatemala border, with the epicenter 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, Chiapas, causing two injuries but no severe damage or casualties reported in Mexico or Guatemala.
• The USGS recorded at least 10 aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.9 to 6, and the quake was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador, prompting evacuations and panic in multiple cities including Tapachula, Tuxtla Gutierrez, and Guatemala City.
• Authorities in Guatemala suspended in-person classes in several departments near the epicenter, and social media showed landslides on roads, while Mexico's tsunami warning system initially issued alerts but later lifted the threat.
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed no preliminary damage, and the navy advised avoiding beaches for six hours due to tsunami risks, with coastal monitoring ongoing in border towns like Suchiate.
• The region is historically earthquake-prone, with previous deadly quakes in Mexico, including a 7.1 magnitude event in 2017 that killed hundreds, underscoring ongoing seismic vulnerability.