One injured after quake in Guatemala

Power cuts, minor damages reported

Guatemala City - A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit western Guatemala near the Mexican border early yesterday, causing power cuts, minor damage to buildings and injuring one person, according to preliminary official reports.

There was no immediate warning of any tsunami.

The quake occurred at 1.29am, epi-centered in the department of San Marcos, 156km west of the capital, the Institute of Seismology said.

The tremor was felt across most of the country, according to Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction.

“Moderate damage to houses and power outages were reported in several parts of the country,” agency spokesman Julio Sanchez said.

A person was injured in the southwestern village of San Sebastian after an old church collapsed, the agency said.

President Jimmy Morales posted a message on Twitter saying “stay calm and be alert to possible aftershocks”.