A total of 14 earthquakes shook the Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of Mexico on Friday morning.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the largest of the earthquakes registered at 7.3 magnitude, occurring at 10:48 a.m., EST, and 58 km southwest of Puerto Madero. The depth of the earthquake was registered at 18.6 km.
“We were upstairs on the second floor when it started shaking; we thought it would pass, but then it got stronger, so we all went downstairs and evacuated in an orderly manner to the front courtyard,” Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in Tapachula, explained to The Associated Press.
Tapachula is the main city on the southern border of Mexico.
There were five additional aftershocks, registering anywhere between 5.7 and 6-magnitude.
No reported deaths
Mexico’s secretary of the Navy, Admiral Raymundo Morales, told a press conference that there was no serious impact, but that residents of the area were to stay away from the coastline.
“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.
There were no reported fatalities or significant damage in Mexico or Guatemala. The tremors were felt as far away as El Salvador.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said that emergency response plans are being deployed. Authorities have reported damaged building facades and other unspecified “collapses.”
The quake also caused the U.S. Tsunami Warning System to warn of possible hazardous tsunami waves along the coasts of Mexico and Guatemala. The system recorded waves of 0.3 metres above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas. Later on, the tsunami warnings were cancelled.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tsunamis are “giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.”
Back in January, Mexico was hit with 6.5-magnitude quake near the town of San Marcos in the state of Guerrero, close to resort town of Acapulco on the Pacific coast. There were more than 500 aftershocks resulting from that quake and two people died.