Quake hits Guatemala, no initial reports of damage

A powerful earthquake struck Guatemala close to the capital on Monday, though residents of Guatemala City felt little movement from the deep tremor and emergency services said there were no initial reports of damage or injuries.    

The epicenter of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake, initially reported as a magnitude 5.8, was only 6 miles (9.5 km) southeast of Guatemala City but it was at a depth of 124.6 miles (200 km), lessening its effect.     

Two Reuters witnesses in the city said they did not feel the quake, nor did they see people running outdoors as is often the case when powerful tremors hit.    

David de Leon, a spokesman for Guatemala's emergency agency, CONRED, said he had no reports of damage or victims.    

A magnitude 6.2 quake is capable of causing severe damage.    

Last November, more than 50 people were killed in a 7.5 magnitude quake in Guatemala in San Marcos state, a mountainous region near the Mexican border.    

That earthquake was the strongest to shake the country since 1976, when a magnitude 7.5 quake centered about 99 miles (160 km) northeast of Guatemala City killed some 23,000 people.   


REUTERS