GUATEMALA CITY, Feb 17, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that
struck western Guatemala early Wednesday caused damage affecting nearly
25,000 people, and caused three people to suffer fatal heart attacks,
authorities said.

   The epicenter of the quake, which struck at a depth of 84 kilometers (52
miles), was in the coastal district of Escuintla, less than 100 kilometers
southwest of the capital, Guatemala City.

   The United States Geological Survey said it measured as a 6.2-magnitude
quake, though Guatemalan authorities estimated it was stronger, at 6.8,
followed by an aftershock of 4.8.

   The quake caused landslides on roads, damage to houses and power outages
affecting some 31,300 people, according to rescue services.

   Three women died of heart attacks, which officials linked to the quake
without specifying how they were related.

   One woman, 50, died in the village of Mixco, west of the capital. The
other two women, whose ages authorities did not give, were in the northern
department of Baja Verapaz and the western city of Quetzaltenango. The tremor
was felt as far away as El Salvador, to the southeast of Guatemala, and in
southern Mexico.

   Firefighters also reported a landslide on the road from the capital to
Antigua, Guatemala's main tourist city.

   The Central American country, located at the meeting point of three
tectonic plates, sits in a risk zone for earthquakes.

   Last year, more than 125 earthquakes were recorded in Guatemala, without
any deaths or significant damage.