Red Alert in Guatemala After 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake

Update (7 November 2012):

The latest reports indicate that least 39 people [es] have died due to the earthquake that hit Guatemala earlier today. Another 155 people have been reported injured.

 

Reports on the damages caused by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit off Champerico on the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, are coming in quickly through Twitter.

Netizens are sharing photos and reports with the hashtags #TemblorGT, #TiemblaenGuate, #TerremotoGT, #FuerteSismoGT, #Champerico, and more.

The earthquake was also felt strongly in neighbouring Mexico and El Salvador.

User Griddliss Barfe (@GriddlissBarfe) [es] tweeted the following photo from Mazatenango, Guatemala:

Mazatenango, Guatemala

Mazatenango, Guatemala after earthquake. Image shared by Twitter user @GriddlissBarfe

Many users, like Nuestro Diario (@NuestroDiario) [es] and Esner Navarro (@esnernavarro) [es], are sharing photos of the damage in San Marcos, where at least eight people have died, according to the latest reports [es] by Prensa Libre.

Police station in San Marcos

Police station in San Marcos after the earthquake. Image shared by @NuestroDiario on Twitter.

San Marcos, Guatemala after earthquake

San Marcos, Guatemala after earthquake. Image shared by Twitter user Esner Navarro (@esnernavarro) on Twitter.

Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina (@ottoperezmolina) [es] has been using Twitter to send updates on the situation. These are his latest tweets at the time of writing this post:

@ottoperezmolina: Se declara alerta roja nacional, se suspenden actividades públicas y se recomienda evacuar edificios.

@ottoperezmolina: We are declaring a national red alert. Public activities are suspended and we recommend evactuating buildings.

@ottoperezmolina: Se trabaja para poder brindar ayuda a las personas afectadas. Estamos a la espera de datos oficiales.

@ottoperezmolina: We are working to bring help to those who have been affected. We are waiting for official information.

The Red Cross in Guatemala (@CRGuatemalteca) [es] is also sharing information on Twitter.

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