Two dead in Guatemala after powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake reduced buildings to rubble

Two people have died after a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala early on Wednesday, causing landslides and reducing buildings to rubble. 

The epicentre of the quake was just 10 miles east of Tiquisate, a town 80 miles south of the capital Guatemala City, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. 

Guatemala’s disaster agency, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction, put the tremors at 6.8 in magnitude, saying it was followed by an aftershock measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale.    

The first earthquake, which had a depth of 60 miles, caused landslides on roads, some light damage to houses, and power outages, but no casualties had been reported, according to rescue services.

Authorities reported two fatalities, a woman in the city of Mixco, a western suburb of the capital, and a man in the highland city of Quetzaltenango.

Both died of heart attacks, authorities said. 

Guatemala’s disaster agency, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction, put the tremors at 6.8 in magnitude, saying it was followed by an aftershock measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale. Pictured: A car is damaged from falling debris after a building partially collapsed following the tremor  

The first earthquake, which had a depth of 60 miles, caused landslides on roads, some light damage to houses, and power outages, but no casualties had been reported, according to rescue services. Pictured: Emergency services clear away the rubble 

The epicentre of the quake was just 10 miles east of Tiquisate, a town 80 miles south of the capital Guatemala City, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said

Images showed fallen trees blocking certain routes following the earthquakes, whilst others showed deep cracks appearing in the walls of buildings.  

Local media reported power cuts and some structural damage in cities such as Mixco and Chimaltenango, close to the capital, after the tremor which was felt as far away as El Salvador and Mexico.

Meanwhile, a car was crushed by falling debris from a collapsed building in Totonicapán city. 

Workers clear the rubble from a partially collapsed wall following the earthquake

Members of the General Directorate of Road Safety and Security close a road affected by landslides after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the area on Wednesday

A landslide and a fallen tree block a road following an earthquake that hit southwestern Guatemala, near Antigua, Guatemala, on Wednesday

Firefighters also reported a landslide on the road from the capital to Antigua, Guatemala’s main tourist city.

The Central American country is in a risk zone for earthquakes, located at a meeting point of the Caribbean, Cocos and North American tectonic plates.

Last year, more than 125 earthquakes were recorded in Guatemala without any deaths or significant damage.

Last week, there were 15 minor earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean and off the coasts of El Salvador, Santa Rosa and Mexico.