UN chief expresses sympathy with Guatemala over earthquake
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E-mail Xinhua, November 9, 2012
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Residents stand next to a damaged car after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the San Marcos state in Guatemala. [Chinanews.com] |
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday expressed his deep sympathy over the deaths and damages caused by a massive earthquake in Guatemala.
"The secretary-general is saddened by the loss of life, and the damage to homes and infrastructure in Guatemala as a result of the earthquake that struck off the coast of the country near the border with Mexico on 7 November," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.
In the statement, the UN chief extended his sincere condolences to the Guatemalan government and people, particularly the families of those who have been killed or affected in this disaster.
"The United Nations stands ready to lend its assistance to efforts already under way by the Guatemalan authorities to respond to humanitarian needs created by the disaster and to mobilize any international support needed for that response," said the statement.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people and injuring 155 others.
In one province, 131 homes were destroyed. Local authorities have set up 11 shelters with a capacity for 800 people.
Eddy Sanchez, director of Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology, said the epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean off Champerico, Retalhuleu province, 200 km southwest of Guatemala City with a depth of 5.4 km.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 1635 GMT at a depth of 41 km, with its epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, about 24 km southwest of Champerico.
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