Powerful Mexico earthquake sparks tsunami alerts as officials assess impact

International

THE threat of a tsunami briefly followed a magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Mexico’s coast on Friday, as warning systems across the Pacific monitored possible hazardous waves before the alert was lifted.

The powerful offshore quake struck near the fishing town of Puerto Madero in Chiapas at 08:49 local time (14:49 GMT), with a depth of 15.2 kilometers (9 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

No fatalities or significant damage have been reported in Mexico or Guatemala, although the tremor was also felt in El Salvador, where buildings shook and some residents evacuated, Reuters reported.

In a BBC report, Mexico’s Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales said authorities had found no major effects from the earthquake but advised people to stay away from beaches as a precaution.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially issued an alert for possible “hazardous tsunami waves” along the coasts of Mexico and Guatemala. It later recorded waves measuring 0.3 meters (1.1 feet) above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas, Mexico.

Several hours after the initial warning, the center said the tsunami threat had passed, while advising residents in affected areas to “remain observant and exercise normal caution near the sea”.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates the tsunami warning center, forecast waves of less than 0.3 meters above tide level along the coasts of El Salvador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Honduras.

NOAA said a tsunami consists of a series of waves, with intervals between crests ranging from five minutes to an hour, and that such waves can continue for many hours. In this case, waves lasted for 12 minutes in Puerto Madero and 28 minutes in Chiapas.

“Persons caught in the water of a tsunami may drown, be crushed by debris in the water, or be swept out to sea,” NOAA said.

The agency advised government authorities in threatened coastal areas to provide instructions to communities at risk and urged residents to “stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities”.

In Mexico, officials said the earthquake caused no serious impact. Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz said the quake was felt with “moderate intensity” in the southern state, but no significant damage had been reported.

Chiapas Governor Eduardo Ramírez, whose state was closest to the epicenter, also reported no serious effects. He said he had instructed his cabinet to suspend administrative activities and encouraged the private sector to do the same.

Aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.7 to 6 were recorded following the main earthquake.

In Guatemala, President Bernardo Arévalo said the country’s emergency management agency had been deployed after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake with an epicenter in Quetzaltenango. He said no deaths had been recorded.

“I call on the population to remain calm and to follow the recommendations,” he said on X, as quoted by the same article.

Authorities across the region continued monitoring conditions after the earthquake as coastal communities were advised to remain cautious and follow official updates.(MyTVCebu)