Victim is rescued from Church collapse after Guatemalan earthquake.
Early Morning Earthquake claims at least one life.
Retalhuleu, Guatemala- A violent earthquake collapsed a portion of the Catholic Church in San Sebastian, Retalhuleu, Guatemala early this morning. 30 year old Juan Francisco Esteban Javier was sleeping inside the church. Though rescued alive from the rubble by firefighters of Retalhuleu’s 11 Compañía CBV, Javier later died of his injuries at the local hospital. Sadly, the first confirmed fatality in this morning’s severe quake. An elderly woman has reportedly perished of a heart attack resulting from the temblor in nearby Malacatán, San Marcos, Guatemala.
Landslides and Damage to Buildings widespread.
Retalhuleu’s Fire Chief, Salvador Matheu, said that the older Spanish colonial buildings were the worst affected. Firefighters and city officials have been surveying the damage throughout the city.
“There is damage to the Old Cathedral and the Governor’s Palace in the historic Central Square.” said Matheu. “and even some to the Fire Station. Newer buildings haven’t been damaged as much.”
Firefighters prepare to move leaking tank of chlorine gas after earthquake.
A chlorine gas leak at the city’s water treatment plant became the most immediate problem after the rescue. The earthquake had fractured a supply line from the supply tank to the plant causing an uncontrolled release of the deadly gas.
“We don’t have hazardous materials suits, so the best we could do was move the tank as far as we could from the houses nearby, while wearing our firefighting gear.” said the chief.
In the nearby town of Santa Cruz Muluá, a portion of the old Catholic Church collapsed and the municipal building was damaged. Maydi Aguilar, an official of the municipality said “We have reports of houses damaged and collapsed both town and in the villages but, thank god, no injuries reported yet.”
The main highway linking Retalhuleu with Quetzaltenango, two of Guatemala’s largest cities, has been blocked by multiple landslides and a possible tunnel collapse.
Officials Breathe a sigh of relief after earthquake.
Reports of serious damage are coming in from firefighters and officials all around the area of the earthquake. However, most of our reports have said one thing in common. It could have been much worse. San Cristóbal, Totonicopán reported damage to buildings, but no known injuries. Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city reported extensive damage, but few injuries. Even towns closer to the epicenter, San Marcos, Malacatán and San Pablo, report few injuries, though the power is out in those areas. The epicenter of today’s earthquake was deep and in a relatively sparsely populated region of the country. This is thought to have limited the human toll. For comparison, the 1976 Guatemala Earthquake killed 23,000 and injured 76,000 more.
Experts say aftershocks are possible over the next few weeks and maybe as strong or stronger than the original quake. Residents of the region are being urged to take precautions.
Update: 9:32 pm EST: The Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh) said that in 15 hours, they had recorded 39 aftershocks with magnitudes between 3.3 and 4.6 . Prensa Libre is now reporting five (5) deaths in total. The three additional deaths are said to be cardiac related. In addition, they report seven additional traumatic injuries. Fifty (50) known landslides have blocked roads and highways in the area.
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