7.3-magnitude quake hits Mexico-Guatemala border; no immediate damage reported

A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday (July 17, 2026), right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador.

Authorities have not immediately reported any severe damage or casualties in any country.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with epicentre 48 kilometres southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas and at a depth of 15 kilometers. It was preceded by a smaller quake with epicentre a bit further out in the ocean.

In the town of Suchiate, located along the river that separates Mexico from Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for risk of a tsunami, according to Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo.

In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, the tremor began mildly but gradually intensified.

“We were upstairs on the second floor when it started shaking; we thought it would pass, but then it got stronger, so we all went downstairs and evacuated in an orderly manner to the front courtyard,” Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in the city, explained to The Associated Press.

In Guatemala City, the earthquake frightened residents because of how long it lasted. Many people poured into the streets in the middle of rush hour as the workday was beginning.

In the Mexican capital, where buildings in certain areas creaked and shook, the earthquake alert did not sound because, as the government explained, “the energy radiated by the earthquake during the first few seconds did not exceed the activation thresholds.”