6.9-magnitude quake strikes southern Mexico, kills one

A strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Mexico and Guatemala Monday, killing one person and injured another as shockwaves toppled walls and causing landslides. The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred in the Mexican state of Chiapas around 1124 GMT and was located about 4 miles (8 kilometers) from the coast near the Guatemalan border, at a depth of 57 miles (92 kilometers). One man was reported dead in Huixtla, Mexico, after a wall fell on him, Chiapas Civil Protection reported on its Twitter account. Meanwhile in Guatemala, one person was injured when a wall fell inside a home in the city of San Marcos, about 186 miles west of Guatemala City, a firefighter spokesman told local radio. Some roads were blocked by landslides triggered by the quake. Two deaths were reported on social networks in Guatemala, but a spokesman for the country's disaster response agency said they had not been confirmed. Guatemala's State Institute of Seismology recommended that classes be suspended because of expected aftershocks. Officials in Mexico said some homes in Chiapas' Soconusco region had cracks from the quake, but that the damage was still being assessed. Although the USGS initially put the quake's magnitude at 7.1, it downgraded it to 6.9, in line with a reading by Mexico's national seismological service. The quake occurred near Mexico's Pacific coast. The threat of a tsunami was ruled out, however. Tremors could be felt some 670 miles away in parts of Mexico City where "for the moment there is no damage or injuries," Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said. It was also felt in El Salvador, where no injuries or damage were reported. The earthquake marked the 33rd seismic event in Chiapas this month, according to the Civil Protection organization. Mexico is known for its seismic activity, with earthquakes occurring most often along the Pacific coast.