A magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Mexico’s coast prompted a tsunami warning, with small waves later recorded in Puerto Madero and Chiapas.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday triggered a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific, while officials in Mexico and neighboring countries moved quickly to assess the impact.
The quake struck near the fishing town of Puerto Madero in Mexico at 8:49 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was recorded at a depth of 15.2 kilometers. The US Tsunami Warning System initially warned of possible hazardous waves along the nearby coasts of Mexico and Guatemala, then later reported wave heights of 0.3 meters, or 1.1 feet, above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas.
Mexico’s navy secretary, Admiral Raymundo Morales, said there was no serious impact, but he urged people to stay away from beaches. Governor Salomón Jara Cruz of Oaxaca said the quake was felt with moderate intensity, but no significant damage had been reported. Eduardo Ramírez, governor of Chiapas, said there had been no serious impact there either, though he told his cabinet to suspend administrative activities and asked the private sector to do the same.
The tremor was also felt in Guatemala and El Salvador, where Reuters reported that buildings shook and some people evacuated or ran from their homes. Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arévalo said emergency management officials were deployed after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake with its epicenter in Quetzaltenango. He said no fatalities had been recorded so far and urged the public to stay calm and follow official guidance.
Several hours after the first warning, the tsunami center said the danger had passed, but it told people in affected areas to remain observant and use normal caution near the sea. NOAA, which runs the warning center, also said it expected smaller waves along the coasts of El Salvador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Honduras. It noted that tsunami waves can continue for many hours, and in this case the waves lasted 12 minutes in Puerto Madero and 28 minutes in Chiapas.
For people along the Pacific coast, the tsunami warning was a reminder of how quickly an offshore quake can disrupt communities and force officials to act before the worst is known.
