2025 Guatemala earthquakes

2025 Guatemala earthquakes
A collapsed church in Santa María de Jesús
2025 Guatemala earthquakes is located in Guatemala
2025 Guatemala earthquakes
Guatemala City
Guatemala City
UTC time2025-07-08 21:41:30
ISC event643658001
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date8 July 2025
Local time15:41:30 CST (UTC-6)
Duration30 seconds
MagnitudeMw 5.7
Depth10 km (6 mi)
Epicenter14°26′24″N 90°39′18″W / 14.440°N 90.655°W / 14.440; -90.655
FaultChixoy-Polochic Fault
TypeStrike-slip
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)
ForeshocksMw 4.8 on 8 July 2025
Aftershocks37+ recorded
mb 4.8 on 8 July 2025 (Strongest)
Casualties7 fatalities, 300 injuries

On 8 July 2025, a swarm of earthquakes struck Guatemala, with the largest having a magnitude of 5.7 Mw and located 3 km (1.9 mi) from the town of Amatitlán, and 20 km (12 mi) from the capital Guatemala City.[1][2] The earthquake led to at least 7 deaths[3][4] and 300 injuries,[5] in addition to causing severe damage to buildings across six departments in the south of the country.

Tectonic setting

Map of different faults in the Caribbean

The coastline of Guatemala lies above the convergent boundary where the Cocos Plate is being subducted beneath the North American Plate or Caribbean Plate along the line of the Middle America Trench. Earthquakes associated with this plate boundary include a Mw  7.4 quake that ruptured the plate interface in 2012, and a Mw  6.9 earthquake caused by faulting within the subducting Cocos Plate in 2014. The northern part of the country hosts the Motagua Fault and Chixoy-Polochic Fault, accommodating left-lateral strike-slip movement on the transform boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates. The Motagua Fault was the source of many destructive earthquakes in Northern Guatemala, most notably a magnitude 7.5 event in 1976.[6][7]

Earthquakes

USGS ShakeMap

The mainshock of the sequence measured 5.7 on the moment magnitude scale, and had an epicenter located in Escuintla Department, 3 km (1.9 mi) from the town of Amatitlan. It struck 10.0 km (6.2 mi) below the surface, and had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VII (Very Strong) in San Vicente Pacaya, VI (Strong) in Santa María de Jesús, Palín, Escuintla, Antigua, Petapa, Amatitlan, and Ciudad Vieja, V (Moderate) in Guatemala City and Chimaltenango, IV (Light) in Quetzaltenango, and III (Weak) in Santa Ana and Santa Tecla, El Salvador.[1] The quake was preceded by a Mw  4.8 foreshock about 30 minutes before[8] and was followed by more than 37 aftershocks,[9] including one that struck 13 minutes later that also measured 4.8 mb .[10] As of 15 July, a total of 1,001 earthquakes have been recorded since the start of the sequence, with 36 of them being felt.[11]

Damage and casualties

Large landslides caused by the earthquake in Santa María de Jesús
Damage to a home in Amatitlán

At least seven fatalities were reported due to the earthquake, most of them in Santa María de Jesús, Sacatepéquez Department,[3][4] while 300 people were injured.[5] About 50% of the town's homes were thought to have been damaged or destroyed, with the town's mayor saying that most of the affected buildings were old and made of adobe.[12] A father and his son traveling from Palín to Santa María de Jesús, Sacatepéquez died when their pickup truck was struck by a rockslide.[13] A man in Santa María de Jesús was rescued after being buried by a landslide while riding on his motorcycle, and a woman in Villa Nueva died after being buried by another landslide[14] along with her dog.[15] One person also died from a heart attack in his residence in Santa Inés, near Antigua Guatemala.[16]

More than 2,145 homes were reportedly affected,[17] of which 201 were severely damaged and 25 were in risk of collapse. Additionally, nine health centers, 13 public buildings, 62 schools, 31 roads, a highway and a bridge were impacted.[18][19][20] At least 1,953 people were affected, of which 323 were left homeless.[19] In Amatitlán and Antigua Guatemala, several homes were damaged or destroyed and a church at Santa María de Jesús was severely damaged.[21][2] Santa María de Jesús was isolated following a landslide on the RD-SAC-01 highway.[22] Water and electricity outages also occurred.[23] In Palín, more than 300 homes, the old municipal building, and a church were damaged and a landslide occurred.[24][20] In San Vicente Pacaya, more than 300 homes were damaged[25] and the main access road to the municipality was blocked by a landslide.[26] In the capital Guatemala City, one house collapsed and a building was severely damaged.[27] A health center was damaged in Joyabaj, Quiche.[20] Some damage was also reported from the departments of Baja Verapaz and Chimaltenango.[28] Power, telephone, and internet services were disrupted in towns near the epicenter,[29] with electric services fully restored in Santa María de Jesús two days after the quake.[20] The National Hospital of Amatitlán suspended operations due to earthquake damage, while its patients were evacuated to Villa Nueva.[30] A building within the complex was subsequently recommended for demolition.[31]

Response and aftermath

People respond to landslides in Villa Nueva.

Following the earthquake, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) declared an orange alert, the second-highest on Guatemala's emergency scale.[32] The Guatemala International Book Fair suspended operations on 9 July.[33] Schools and some offices in Guatemala, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez Departments were also closed on 9 July.[12][34] President Bernardo Arévalo also went to Santa María de Jesús to inspect the damage and met with affected residents.[35] CONRED and the Guatemalan Army were deployed in creating alternate access routes to the town, while supplies were delivered by air.[36]

On the night of 10 July, gunshots and fires broke out in Santa María de Jesús as residents pursued suspected looters targeting neighborhoods whose inhabitants were displaced by the earthquake.[37] Five of those suspected were detained and lynched by local residents, with one of them reportedly set on fire.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b ANSS. "M 5.7 - 3 km SSW of Amatitlán, Guatemala 2025". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  2. ^ a b "Tres potentes sismos sacudieron Guatemala: al menos dos muertos y múltiples daños estructurales" (in Spanish). Infobae. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Santa María de Jesús: seis muertos, cero caminos y una noche bajo ruinas por los temblores" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Guatemala: ascienden a siete los fallecidos por sismos, mientras el país intenta retomar la calma". Independent Español (in Spanish). 10 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Sismos en Guatemala dejan dos fallecidos y más de 300 heridos" (in Spanish). El Oriental de Monagas. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  6. ^ Aubouin, Jean; Stephan, Jean Francois; Renard, Vincent; Roump, Jacqueline; Lonsdale, Peter (12 November 1981). "Subduction of the Cocos plate in the Mid America Trench". Nature. 294 (5837): 146–150. Bibcode:1981Natur.294..146A. doi:10.1038/294146a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 29451269. S2CID 204999690. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  7. ^ "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program » Historic Earthquakes". 21 April 2006. Archived from the original on 21 April 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  8. ^ ANSS. "M 4.8 – 4 km SW of Amatitlán, Guatemala 2025". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  9. ^ "Insivumeh: tres sismos principales y más de 30 réplicas afectaron Guatemala" (in Spanish). Agencia Guatemaleco Noticias. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  10. ^ ANSS. "M 4.8 – 6 km NW of Palín, Guatemala 2025". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  11. ^ "Guatemala suma más de mil temblores en ocho días: persiste la actividad sísmica" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Santa María de Jesús: luto y temor en un pueblo que sobrevivió a los sismos y duerme bajo carpas" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Temblores en Guatemala: se confirman los primeros dos muertos; gigantesca roca aplasta a padre e hijo" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Cuatro muertos deja en Guatemala una secuencia de más de 150 sismos y réplicas". Local10. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Death toll from dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks in Guatemala rises to 4". AP News. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Vecinos de Palín pasan segunda noche en carpas por persistencia de temblores" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Sin cifras finales, pero con más de 4 mil 500 raciones entregadas: Cómo avanza la ayuda luego de los sismos en Guatemala" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Temblores en Guatemala: daños en escuela de Villa Nueva generan temor entre padres de familia" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  19. ^ a b CONRED [@ConredGuatemala] (10 July 2025). "#SismoGT Actualmente son 171 emergencias atendidas en los departamentos de Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Escuintla, Baja Verapaz, Quiché, Chimaltenango y Retalhuleu. Ingresa al enlace para más detalles: https://lookerstudio.google.com/s/h-4xKTFpf2M" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b c d "Temblores en Guatemala EN VIVO: Linchan a cuatro presuntos ladrones en Santa María de Jesús" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  21. ^ "Hombre quedó soterrado por derrumbe tras sismo" (in Spanish). TN23. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  22. ^ "Temblores del 8 de julio dejan severos daños en Santa María de Jesús, Sacatepéquez" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  23. ^ "Santa María de Jesús incomunicada por hundimiento y derrumbes: ¿Cuánto tardará en restablecerse el paso?" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  24. ^ "Hay 30 casas dañadas en Palín, Escuintla, el conteo de destrozos continúa" (in Spanish). Ojoconmipisto. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  25. ^ "300 casas dañadas y casi 190 albergados: La situación en San Vicente Pacaya por los temblores en Guatemala" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  26. ^ "Más de 30 viviendas dañadas por sismos en San Vicente Pacaya" (in Spanish). ChapinTV. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  27. ^ "En vivo: Conred confirma dos fallecidos a causa de los temblores, mientras continúa evaluaciones" (in Spanish). AGN. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  28. ^ "Clases y labores se retoman este jueves 10 de julio, informó la CONRED" (in Spanish). LiberalGT. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  29. ^ "Fatalities and severe structural damage reported after M5.7 earthquake in Guatemala". The Watchers. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Suspenden atención en Hospital de Amatitlán y trasladan pacientes por daños causados por temblores" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  31. ^ "Hospital de Amatitlán será demolido por daños causados por temblores" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  32. ^ "Multiple earthquakes kill 2 people in Guatemala, cause landslides and evacuations". AP News. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  33. ^ "Filgua 2025 cerrará este miércoles 9 de julio debido a los sismos" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  34. ^ "Guatemala Closes Schools in Capital After Earthquakes". The New York Times. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  35. ^ ""Estamos en un momento difícil": vecinos de Santa María de Jesús piden ayuda tras temblores" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  36. ^ "69 casas se declaran inhabitables y otras 380 con daños por los sismos: estas son las comunidades más golpeadas" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  37. ^ "Tensión en Santa María de Jesús: vecinos persiguen a presuntos asaltantes y se reportan viviendas incendiadas" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  38. ^ "Mob lynches five alleged thieves in quake-hit Guatemalan town". France 24. AFP. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
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