7.3 Earthquake Strikes Mexico-Guatemala Border, No Major Damage Reported
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the southern Pacific coast of Mexico near the border with Guatemala on Friday, July 17, 2026. The tremor was felt across a wide region, from Mexico City to El Salvador.
Authorities in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador have not reported any severe damage or casualties so far. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicentre 48 kilometres southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas, at a depth of 15 kilometres. A smaller foreshock had occurred earlier farther out at sea.
In the town of Suchiate, located on the river separating Mexico from Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for possible tsunami risk, according to Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo. In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico's southern border, the shaking started mildly but grew stronger over time.
Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in Tapachula, told The Associated Press: "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."
In Guatemala City, the prolonged shaking frightened residents, prompting many to rush into the streets during morning rush hour. In Mexico City, buildings creaked and swayed, but the earthquake alert did not activate. The government explained that "the energy radiated by the earthquake during the first few seconds did not exceed the activation thresholds."
