危地馬拉大地震已造成至少48人死亡 Guatemala Suffers A Major Quake

A powerful earthquake rocked the coast of Guatemala and southern Mexico on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people and toppling buildings in poor neighborhoods.

週三，危地馬拉沿海地區和墨西哥南部地區發生強烈地震，造成至少48人死亡，貧困地區大量房屋倒塌。

The magnitude-7.4 tremor struck off the coast of Guatemalan coastal town Champerico, about 150 miles from the capital at Guatemala City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake sent shockwaves through the Mexican state of Chiapas and along the Guatemalan coast, and was felt as far as Mexico City more than 600 miles away.

據美國地質調查局(U.S. Geological Survey)監測，這場里氏7.4級的地震震中位於危地馬拉沿海城鎮錢佩里科(Champerico)附近海域，距離該國首都危地馬拉城(Guatemala City)約150英里（約合240公里）。震波衝擊了墨西哥的恰帕斯州(Chiapas)及危地馬拉沿海地區，遠在600多英里以外的墨西哥城也有震感。

At least 48 people were killed, mainly in San Marcos province, a mountainous coastal stretch that sits beside the epicenter, said Johana Miner, a spokeswoman at the Guatemalan disaster agency. Ms. Miner said that around 100 remained missing and that the death toll could rise. At least 32 houses were destroyed, mainly in San Marcos, she said, where construction is often unstable adobe.

危地馬拉救災部門發言人米內爾(Johana Miner)說，至少有48人遇難，其中大部分是在聖馬科斯省(San Marcos)。該省是沿海一個多山地帶，位於震中附近。米內爾說，目前仍約有100人失蹤，死亡人數可能上升。她說，有至少32座房屋被毀，主要位於聖馬科斯省，當地的建築通常是不夠穩固的土坯房。

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina issued a disaster alert and asked for the evacuation of affected buildings, warning of aftershocks.

危地馬拉總統佩雷斯(Otto Perez Molina)發佈了災害警報，要求受影響的建築內的人疏散，並警告可能發生餘震。

Guatemala, which lies along a range of active volcanoes, is vulnerable to severe earthquakes. The country is one of the region's poorest and many buildings don't comply with seismic standards.

危地馬拉位於一系列活火山沿線，易發生嚴重地震。該國是中美洲最貧窮的國家之一，很多建築不符合抗震標準。

The earthquake appeared to be the largest to hit the country in decades. In 1976, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake rocked the country north of Guatemala City, a disaster that claimed more than 23,000 lives and leveled entire towns.

這次地震似乎是幾十年來該國發生的最嚴重的地震。1976年，該國危地馬拉城以北發生里氏7.5級地震，造成逾2.3萬人死亡，整座整座的鎮子被夷爲平地。

There were no reports of casualties in Guatemala City, where most of the population is concentrated, nor on the Mexican side of the border. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said there were no serious damage there.

目前危地馬拉城和墨西哥靠近危地馬拉的邊境地區尚無人員傷亡報告。危地馬拉的大部分人口都集中在危地馬拉城。墨西哥城市長埃布拉爾(Marcelo Ebrard)說，該城沒有遭到嚴重破壞。