7.3 quake hits southern Mexico, no damage yet reported

Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times on Jul 17, 2026

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MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities were reporting no immediate damage after a strong earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the southern state of Chiapas, resulting in shaking hundreds of miles away in Mexico City.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake — with a magnitude of 7.3 — occurred at 8:48 a.m. Mexico City time, with an epicenter about 30 miles southwest of the city of Huixtla, in Chiapas state, near the border with Guatemala. The quake had a depth of a 9.2 miles, the survey said.

Reports in Chiapas indicated a series of after-shocks as panicked residents left their homes as a precaution.

Video on social media from the southern state showed people gathering on the streets amid a sense of uncertainty.

Authorities in Chiapas suspended official activities and activated and alert for a potential tsunami, according to reports.

News of the quake broke as President Claudia Sheinbaum was completing her regular morning news conference. In a post later on X, Sheinbaum said that no damage was reported in Chiapas and the state of Tabasco, on Mexico's east coast, where shaking was felt.

Mexico's secretary of the navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales, told reporters that there was no immediate indication of damage.

Authorities were recommending that people avoid beaches in the two states because of a potential tsunami risk.

—Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed.