A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of southern Mexico on Friday, July 17.
This prompted tsunami warnings for parts of Mexico and Guatemala, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake struck at 8:48 a.m. local time near Puerto Madero in the state of Chiapas, close to the border with Guatemala, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles).
Due to this shallow depth, there was stronger shaking at the surface.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has sounded the warning bell, which states that “hazardous tsunami waves” are likely to hit those coasts that lie within 300 km from the epicenter. The possibility of “hazardous tsunami waves” reaching heights of up to 1 meter (3 feet) may occur on the coast of southern Mexico and Guatemala; on the other hand, waves up to 0.3 meters (1 foot) may hit the coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.
“Hazardous tsunami waves” up to 1.1 feet high have already occurred in Puerto Madero and Chiapas, Mexico.
As of now, no significant damages or casualties are reported so far.
After the initial tremor, the strongest was a magnitude of 6.0. There’s no tsunami danger for the United States or Canada.
2026-07-17 21:47:00
