A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast near the border with Guatemala on Friday. The seismic event was felt as far north as Mexico City and south into El Salvador.
Authorities in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador have not reported any immediate severe damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake with its epicenter 48 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Aquiles Serdan, Chiapas, Mexico. The quake occurred at a depth of 15 kilometers (9 miles) and was preceded by a smaller tremor with an epicenter slightly further offshore.
In Suchiate, a Mexican town situated along the river that forms the border with Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for potential tsunami risks, according to Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo. In Tapachula, a major city in Mexico's southern border region, the shaking initially started mildly before intensifying.
Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in Tapachula, described the experience: "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."