Six Earthquakes in a Row Hit Guatemala Leaving at Least 3 Dead
At least three people have died and many are injured as a result of six quakes of a 5.8 magnitude that hit southern Guatemala Monday.
A number of people were reportedly injured while several buildings and at least a hundred houses were damaged, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said in a statement.
Colom, speaking at a press briefing, said that the worst damage took place in the city of Santa Rosa some 75 kilometers southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.
A woman was reportedly buried by a landslide there and three people were reported missing.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the main quake hit at 12:34 local time at a depth of 39 kilometers, and was followed by a 4.8-magnitude quake 30 minutes later. A third, smaller tremor was registered later in the day, and three more followed.
The tremors have caused a number of mudslides in the Guatemalan highlands, where mountain slopes, saturated after weeks of rain from hurricane activity gave in to the quake, Xinhua reported.
Schools had suspended classes for the rest of the day as well as on Tuesday, while the emergency services are battling to restore power in the region and ensure that recent torrential rain combined with the earthquakes does not result in more landslides, according to Xinhua.
The rescue personnel were also monitoring the areas closest to the epicenter for possible survivors.
The earthquakes happened following a weekend of Independence Day celebrations.
The quakes were strong enough to break windows of high-rise buildings.
The main Pan American highway that connects Guatemala with the rest of Central America was blocked by landslides on several points, reported Xinhua.
