7.4-magnitude earthquake in Guatemala 48 dead

November 8, 2012: 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala at 1635 GMT on Wednesday. Due to this earthquake 48 people died in Guatemala 155 people were injured and 135 houses were destroyed, according to its Governor Aroldo Rivera. Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said about 100 others were missing.

Thousands of Guatemalans rushed to the streets in fear of new earthquake. Public buildings have been evacuated, and some 73,000 homes were left without electricity.

In neighbouring Mexico, the intensity was recorded at 7.3 on the Richter scale. Thousands of people in Mexico City were evacuated from the offices and schools.

This was the strongest quake to hit Guatemala since February 04, 1976 when a 7.5-magnitude tremor left nearly 23,000 people dead and over a million homeless.

Source: zeenews.india.com