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Tuesday May 07, 2024

Strong quake injures 3 in Guatemala

By AFP
January 28, 2024

GUATEMALA CITY: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Guatemala, injuring three people and causing minor damage, officials said Saturday. 

A Richter scale measuring an earthquake. — AFP/File
A Richter scale measuring an earthquake. — AFP/File

The quake struck shortly before midnight Friday, seven kilometers (four miles) from the town of Taxisco at a depth of 108 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey. The Conred disaster relief agency said the quake caused landslides on roads, including in the southwestern city of Solola, “where three people were reported injured after falling from a motorcycle, including a minor.” Guatemala´s Seismology Institute, which measured the tremor as 6.0, said it was felt in the south of the country, as well as in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Antigua Guatemala, 45 kilometers southwest of the capital Guatemala City. Guatemala is situated at the point where the Caribbean and Cocos tectonic plates meet, making 90 percent of the country prone to earthquakes, authorities say.