Guatemala reports 2 dead after strong earthquake

Guatemala City, Feb 16 (EFE).- Two people died as a result of the strong earthquake that struck Guatemala in the wee hours of Wednesday, authorities.

Both of the fatalities were due to heart attacks, the nation’s Volunteer Firefighters corps said on Twitter.

Guatemala’s institute of seismology, volcanology and meteorology (Insivumeh) estimated the magnitude of the temblor on the Pacific coast at 6.8, while the United States Geological Survey classified it as magnitude-6.2.

The 1:12 am (07:12 GMT) quake was felt throughout Guatemala and in parts of neighboring Mexico and El Salvador. Three aftershocks, the strongest a magnitude-5.0, followed the temblor, Insivumeh said.

Damage occurred across 11 municipalities and some 24,800 people were affected, according to a preliminary report from the Conred disaster-management agency.

Conred personnel deployed across Guatemala to evaluate the damage posted photos of roads blocked by mudslides and wrecked buildings.

Wednesday’s earthquake was the strongest in recent years in Guatemala, where the memory of the magnitude-7.5 temblor of February 1976 that killed more than 23,000 people remains fresh. EFE oro/dr