Quake kills two, 32 injured in Guatemala

City, July 8: A powerful quake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale hit Guatemala Monday, leaving at least two people, including an infant, killed and 32 injured, President Otto Perez Molina confirmed.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the 6.9- magnitude quake hit near the border between Guatemala and Mexico, two kilometre northeast of Puerto Madero, Mexico, 22 km southwest of Tapachula, Mexico, and 204 km west of Guatemala City.

The early-morning quake, which could be felt as far away as Mexico City, hit the Guatemalan region of San Marcos the hardest, killing an elderly woman and an infant, Xinhua reported.

President Molina said during a press conference that the sleeping infant died when the seismic movement caused a false ceiling to collapse, whereas the elderly woman suffered a heart attack brought on by fright.

"We also have a report of 32 injured, some with blows to the head and a couple of children with fractures," said the president. "We also have 41 severely damaged homes, 17 moderately damaged homes, and 22 lightly damaged homes."

The civil protection service said rescuers evacuated 36 people from damaged buildings and that 44 schools had sustained damage, though the severity had yet to be determined.

IANS