7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico's coast, tsunami warnings issued

Washington, July 17 (KUNA) — The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced on Friday that a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck an area off the Mexican coast, triggering tsunami warnings and being felt in Guatemala and El Salvador, with no reports of serious damage so far. The USGS said in a statement that the earthquake, which occurred near the town of Puerto Madero in the southernmost part of Mexico’s Chiapas state, was shallow, with a depth of 10 kilometers. The statement added that following the quake, the U.S. warning system cautioned of the possibility of dangerous tsunami waves along coastlines within a 300-kilometer radius of the epicenter. For his part, Salomon Jara, governor of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, said on social media that the earthquake was felt with moderate intensity in the state capital, but no immediate reports of serious damage had been received. According to the U.S. news network CNN, Guatemala City was affected by the earthquake, which caused buildings to shake and prompted some residents to rush out of their homes into the streets. Local media broadcast footage of employees evacuating a government building as security protocols were activated. The network also reported that the tremor was felt in El Salvador. Mexico is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which accounts for about 90 percent of the world’s recorded earthquakes. (End) R.S.R. / M.A.H.A.