Strong 7.3-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Mexico, Tsunami Warning Lifted

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, prompting evacuations and an initial tsunami warning across nearby coastal areas.

The US Geological Survey placed the earthquake’s epicentre about 48 kilometres southwest of Aquiles Serdán, near the coast of Mexico’s Chiapas state and close to the border with Guatemala. The quake occurred at an estimated depth of approximately 15 kilometres.

Initial assessments had placed the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.4 and its depth at 10 kilometres. The USGS later revised the reading to magnitude 7.3 at a depth of 15.2 kilometres.

Strong tremors were felt across a wide area, including southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. The shaking was also reported as far away as Mexico City, causing people to evacuate homes, workplaces, hospitals and government buildings as a precaution.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said emergency protocols were activated following the earthquake. Preliminary inspections found no serious damage in Chiapas or neighbouring Tabasco, while Guatemalan authorities also reported no deaths or major structural damage.

Two injuries were reported in southern Mexico. A migrant woman suffered fractures after reportedly jumping from an apartment building in panic, while another person sustained a minor injury involving broken glass at a nearby business. Neither case was reported as life-threatening.

Shortly after the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System warned that potentially hazardous waves could affect coastlines within 300 kilometres of the epicentre. Initial estimates suggested waves measuring between 0.3 and one metre above normal tide levels could reach parts of Mexico and Guatemala.

Mexico’s navy advised residents and visitors to stay away from beaches while authorities assessed the threat. Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales said any change in water level was expected to reach no more than approximately half a metre and was unlikely to cause a serious maritime impact.

The tsunami warning was later withdrawn after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center determined that the threat had passed. Coastal monitoring continued as a precaution, but no destructive tsunami was reported.

Authorities recorded a series of aftershocks following the main earthquake. The USGS detected at least 10 aftershocks ranging between magnitudes 4.9 and 6, while residents across the affected region continued to feel additional tremors.

In Guatemala City, residents and office workers rushed into the streets as buildings shook for an extended period. Government facilities were evacuated, while emergency and civil protection protocols were activated across several areas.

Videos shared from western Guatemala appeared to show minor landslides along some roads. The country’s education ministry suspended face-to-face classes in San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepéquez and Retalhuleu, departments located relatively close to the earthquake’s epicentre.

In Mexico City, the public earthquake alarm was not activated. Authorities said the energy detected during the earthquake’s first few seconds did not exceed the system’s established activation threshold.