Five dead after strong quake hits Guatemala

A strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Guatemala and southern Mexico, killing five people, causing power outages, and knocking down homes, officials said.

The epicenter was about 156 km west of Guatemala City in the department of San Marcos, the Institute of Seismology said.

The tremor was felt across most of the country yesterday, including the capital, as well as in neighboring Mexico, according to Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction.

After reports of two deaths initially, three more people died of heart attacks sustained during the quake.