Deadly tremors rocked Guatemala City as powerful earthquakes claimed five lives and left nine people hospitalized. The disaster struck Tuesday afternoon when a 4.8 magnitude quake hit southwest of the capital. Within half an hour, Mother Nature unleashed an even stronger 5.7 magnitude tremor that sent residents scrambling for safety. More than 230 aftershocks followed the initial blasts, including another 4.8 magnitude jolt just minutes later. Emergency crews rushed to rescue victims trapped under debris and collapsed structures.
Authorities counted 864 people caught up in the chaos, with 134 families forced from their homes. The quakes demolished 64 houses completely while damaging another 70 beyond repair. Emergency officials marked 21 additional homes as dangerous and ready to collapse. Schools took the worst beating with 44 facilities suffering major damage alongside nine hospitals and six government buildings. Landslides triggered by the violent shaking buried roads and cut off entire neighborhoods.
President Arévalo ordered all schools and offices to stay closed Wednesday while engineers checked buildings for cracks. The epicenter sat near Amatitlán, just three miles from the bustling capital city. Scientists measured the quakes at shallow depths reaching only 6.2 miles underground, making them particularly destructive. Guatemala sits right on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates constantly grind against each other. The country still remembers the horrific 1976 earthquake that wiped out more than 23,000 people in seconds.
Authorities counted 864 people caught up in the chaos, with 134 families forced from their homes. The quakes demolished 64 houses completely while damaging another 70 beyond repair. Emergency officials marked 21 additional homes as dangerous and ready to collapse. Schools took the worst beating with 44 facilities suffering major damage alongside nine hospitals and six government buildings. Landslides triggered by the violent shaking buried roads and cut off entire neighborhoods.
President Arévalo ordered all schools and offices to stay closed Wednesday while engineers checked buildings for cracks. The epicenter sat near Amatitlán, just three miles from the bustling capital city. Scientists measured the quakes at shallow depths reaching only 6.2 miles underground, making them particularly destructive. Guatemala sits right on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates constantly grind against each other. The country still remembers the horrific 1976 earthquake that wiped out more than 23,000 people in seconds.
