Magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes off southern Mexico, prompting Pacific tsunami warning
A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific, according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). The quake hit near the fishing town of Puerto Madero at 08:49 local time (14:49 GMT) and reached a depth of 15.2 km, the United States Geological Survey said, as reported by the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo).
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Fri, 17 July 2026 · 2 min read
A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific, according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). The quake hit near the fishing town of Puerto Madero at 08:49 local time (14:49 GMT) and reached a depth of 15.2 km, the United States Geological Survey said, as reported by the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo).
The US Tsunami Warning System warned of possible "hazardous tsunami waves" along the nearby coasts of Mexico and Guatemala, the BBC reported (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). It later recorded waves of 0.3 m (1.1 feet) above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas, and several hours after the initial warning said the threat had passed while advising people to "remain observant and exercise normal caution near the sea."
Mexico's navy secretary, Admiral Raymundo Morales, told a press conference there was "no serious impact" but that people were being advised to stay away from beaches, according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). Governor Salomón Jara Cruz of Oaxaca said the quake was felt with "moderate intensity" but reported no significant damage, while Eduardo Ramírez, governor of Chiapas, said he had instructed his cabinet to suspend administrative activities and urged the private sector to do the same.
The tremor shook buildings in Guatemala and El Salvador, triggering evacuations and causing some people to run from their homes, the BBC reported, citing Reuters (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). Guatemala's President Bernardo Arévalo said the country's emergency management agency had been deployed after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake with its epicentre in Quetzaltenango, and a series of aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.7 and 6 have been recorded, the BBC said.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates the tsunami warning centre, forecast waves of less than 0.3 m above tide level along the coasts of El Salvador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Honduras, according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyjv3815yxo). NOAA noted that a tsunami is a series of waves that can persist for many hours and warned that people caught in the water "may drown, be crushed by debris in the water, or be swept out to sea."
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