At least 29 people died in Guatemala Wednesday in a 7.4-magnitude undersea quake that also jolted Mexico and El Salvador
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In the worst affected San Marcos department in Guatemala, about 155 people were injured and 135 houses were destroyed, according to its governor Aroldo Rivera.
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Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said about 100 others were missing.u00a0
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The 7.4-quake quake struck at 1635 GMT, with its epicentre in the Pacific Ocean, some 24 km from Champerico municipality in Guatemala, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
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Thousands of Guatemalans rushed to the streets in fear of new earthquake. Public buildings have been evacuated, and some 73,000 homes were left without electricity.u00a0
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Relief agencies said the toll could rise.u00a0
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The powerful quake caused damage in several other places in Guatemala, including Quetzaltenango and Solola departments, and the capital Guatemala City, Xinhua reported.u00a0
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It also triggered landslides in various places.
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The authorities, however, have ruled out a tsunami.u00a0
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Molina said 2,000 troops have been deployed to assist in relief efforts.
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In neighbouring Mexico, the intensity was recorded at 7.3 on the Richter scale. Thousands of people in Mexico City were evacuated from the offices and schools.u00a0
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The tremor also prompted evacuation orders in El Salvador.u00a0
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This was the strongest quake to hit Guatemala since Feb 4, 1976 when a 7.5-magnitude tremor left nearly 23,000 people dead and over a million homeless.u00a0
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