A series of 14 earthquakes struck the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico on Friday morning, with the largest registering a magnitude of 7.3.
The principal quake occurred at 10:48 a.m. EST, positioned 58 kilometres southwest of Puerto Madero at a depth of 18.6 kilometres.
Five additional aftershocks followed, ranging in strength from 5.7 to 6.0 magnitude.
In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, an administrative worker at a public hospital described the moment the ground began to move. She said staff evacuated in an orderly fashion to a front courtyard as the shaking intensified.
Mexico’s secretary of the Navy told a press conference that no serious impact had been reported but urged residents to avoid the coastline.
He advised that water levels at some beaches could rise by up to half a metre due to the earthquake and recommended the public stay away from coastal areas temporarily.
No fatalities or significant damage were reported in Mexico or Guatemala, though tremors were felt as far away as El Salvador.
Guatemalan authorities activated emergency response plans after reports of damaged building facades and unspecified structural collapses.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a warning for possible hazardous waves along the coasts of Mexico and Guatemala, recording surges of 0.3 metres above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas.
The tsunami warnings were later cancelled after conditions stabilized.
The seismic activity follows a 6.5-magnitude earthquake near San Marcos in Guerrero state this January, which produced more than 500 aftershocks and left two people dead.
