Two killed in Guatemala earthquakes

This handout picture released by the Bomberos Voluntarios de Guatemala shows volunteer firefighters working to recover the bodies of two people who died after their vehicle was buried in rocks and soil during a landslide as a result of earthquakes in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala, on July 8, 2025. Agence France-Presse

GUATEMALA CITY — Two people were killed when their vehicle was buried under a landslide after a series of earthquakes shook much of the Central American country on Tuesday, Guatemalan authorities said.

The swarm of tremors up to 5.6 magnitude rattled the country on Tuesday afternoon, centered near the towns of Amatitlan and Alotenango southwest of the capital, seismological services reported.

“Unfortunately, human fatalities are confirmed” due to a landslide after rocks and earth buried a vehicle on a highway, said Andres Erazo, a spokesman for disaster coordination agency Conred.

READ: 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Guatemala – USGS

The quakes were also felt in neighboring El Salvador.

The landslide occurred on a road southwest of the capital near the city of Antigua Guatemala in the central highlands.

President Bernardo Arevalo told reporters the quakes had also trapped a family of five, who were being rescued, and two others who were being treated for injuries after being freed.

READ: Magnitude 6.4 quake wakes people on Mexico-Guatemala border

The tremors forced dozens to evacuate buildings in Guatemala City where anti-earthquake alarms sounded, an AFP journalist reported.

Central America often experiences tremors due to the shifting Caribbean and Cocos tectonic plates. /dl