Guatemala president: earthquake near Mexican border kills 48 people

Nov 8, 2012 Source: washingtonpost.com

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Wednesday, killing at least 39 people as it ravaged a small state near the Mexican border, the country’s president said.

The mountain village of San Marcos, 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the epicenter, suffered much of the damage with about 30 homes collapsing in its center. Hundreds of frightened villagers were on the streets, one of which was cracked open by the temblor, the strongest to hit Guatemala since a deadly 1976 quake that killed 23,000.