4 dead as strong earthquake shakes southern Mexico, Central America

4 dead as strong earthquake shakes southern Mexico, Central America
Associated Press
Published: 07 July 2014 06:53 AM
Updated: 07 July 2014 12:33 PM

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico — A magnitude-6.9 earthquake on the Pacific Coast jolted a wide area of southern Mexico and Central America Monday, killing at least four people while damaging homes, hospitals and churches.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 6:23 a.m. (7:23 a.m. EDT; 11:23 GMT) on the Pacific Coast 1 mile (2 kilometers) north-northeast of Puerto Madero, near the Guatemala border. It initially calculated the magnitude at 7.1 but later lowered the figure to 6.9.

Firefighters spokesman Raul Hernandez said at least two people died in their homes from collapsed walls in the Guatemalan town of Pati, in the border province of San Marcos. Another woman in Quetzaltenango died from a heart attack.

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina spoke on radio Emisores Unidos of a fifth case, a newborn hit by a collapsing wall in a San Marcos hospital.

More:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20140707-4-dead-as-strong-earthquake-shakes-southern-mexico-central-america.ece