A magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, Municipio de Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Departamento de Escuintla, Guatemala, was reported only 8 minutes ago by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), considered one of the key international agencies that monitor seismic activity worldwide. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 1. km beneath the epicenter after midnight on Saturday, July 18th, 2026, at 12:52 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.A second report was later issued by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which listed it as a magnitude 5.3 earthquake as well.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage. Moderate shaking probably occurred in Nueva Concepcion (pop. 11,100) located 10 km from the epicenter.In Tiquisate (pop. 18,200) located 21 km from the epicenter, La Gomera (pop. 24,000) 26 km away, Patulul (pop. 40,700) 38 km away, Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa (pop. 112,800) 38 km away, Masagua (pop. 45,300) 49 km away, and Escuintla (pop. 156,300) 58 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Weak shaking might have been felt in Villa Nueva (pop. 618,400) located 89 km from the epicenter, and Guatemala City (pop. 994,900) 102 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Jul 18, 2026 12:52 am (GMT -6) local time (18 Jul 2026 06:52 GMT)Magnitude: 5.3Depth: 1.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 14.11°N / 91.29°W (Departamento de Escuintla, Guatemala)Primary data source: EMSC