Strong quake hits Mexican coast near Guatemala, triggers tsunami threat

RESIDENTS FLEE HOMES IN GUATEMALA

In Guatemala City, the earthquake shook buildings and prompted some residents to dash from their homes onto the street, according to a Reuters witness. 

Local media in Guatemala showed footage of staff evacuating a government building as security protocols were activated.

“I got really scared and it reminded me of the recent earthquake in Venezuela. So I ran out and went down the stairs because I live on the eighth floor. The shaking wouldn’t stop,” Alexander Valdez, a 29-year-old accountant, told Reuters in Guatemala City.

Adolfo Zacarias, a 43-year-old customer service worker who lives on the third floor of his building, said he sought shelter under a structural column as the shaking began.

“I think the memories of what recently happened in Venezuela came back to us and that scared us a lot,” Zacarias said.

Venezuela is still reeling from twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24, when magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors hit within less than a minute of each other in the north-central region, toppling buildings in Caracas and nearby coastal areas and triggering a prolonged rescue and relief effort.