A strong earthquake off the coast of Guatemala on Wednesday shook buildings in Guatemala City, killed eight people and caused evacuations as far away as Mexico City. A local fire chief said the dead were buried under rubble in three different Guatemalan towns. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Guatemala since a 7.5 magnitude quake in 1976 that claimed more than 20,000 lives.
Landslides were blocking roads in some areas, authorities said, and about 40 houses were severely damaged after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit at 10:35 am local time (1635 GMT). The quake struck off Guatemala's Pacific coast, 15 miles (24 km) south of Champerico, Guatemala, and 101 miles (163 km) west-south-west of the capital, the US Geological Survey said.
A Reuters witness in Guatemala City said people were returning to work after evacuations which filled the streets with office workers calling friends and relatives on their cellphones. The epicenter was 26 miles (42 km) below the surface, according to the USGS, which initially reported the quake as magnitude 7.5. The quake was also felt in El Salvador and more than 750 miles (1,000 km) away in Mexico City.
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