AMATITLÁN, Guatemala Department—the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a 5.7 magnitude quake occurred near Amatitlán Tuesday afternoon.

The tremor struck at 21:41 UTC (15:41 local time), with its epicenter located about 3 km south-southwest of Amatitlán and a depth of 10 km.

Did you feel it?

Those who felt the earthquake are encouraged to report it via the USGS Felt Report form. 154 people have submitted responses through the agency’s online form, saying they felt the quake. Strong to very strong shaking was detected, and people in several cities—such as Nuevo Cuscatlán, Huehuetenango, Sololá, Chinautla and Acatenango—reported feeling the tremor, according to the USGS DYFI report.

Impact and estimated losses

Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past yellow alerts have required a local or regional level response. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Guatemala. Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

Structure information summary
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block with concrete bond beam construction.

Historical information
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake 169 km northeast of this event struck Guatemala on February 4, 1976 (UTC), with estimated population exposures of 1,017,000 at intensity VIII and 80,000 at intensity IX or greater, resulting in a reported 22,778 fatalities.

Past week’s quake

Over the last week, one more magnitude 2.5 quake was recorded nearby, with the event also occurring close to Amatitlán, prior to this quake.

Source: The U.S. Geological Survey