A powerful earthquake off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Wednesday sent debris crashing down onto cars , collapsed roads and killed dozens in the Central American nation , officials said . At least 48 people died in the temblor , President Otto Perez Molina said in a Twitter post Wednesday night , and doctors treated at least 150 others for injuries . Earlier Wednesday , Guatemala 's disaster relief agency said 29 people were missing and hundreds had lost their homes . Residents felt the 7.4-magnitude quake throughout Central America and as far north as Mexico City . Its epicenter was about 15 miles off the western coastal town of Champerico , at a depth of 26 miles . It was the strongest quake to hit Guatemala since 1976 , the president told reporters , when a 7.5-magnitude quake killed 23,000 people . `` Fortunately , the damage that we have is not at the same level , '' Perez Molina said Wednesday . iReport : Video from the quake . Roads collapsed in multiple locations around the Pacific coastal region of Guatemala , Perez Molina said . Photos on the Facebook page of the nation 's disaster relief agency showed rubble crushing cars and damage to the ceiling at a school in the department of San Marcos . There were reports of homes and schools destroyed in western Guatemala , Perez Molina told CNN en Español . Many people fled buildings when the tremor first hit . Some 60,000 people remained without power in the country because of the quake , the state-run AGN news agency reported . It was fortunate that the school year in Guatemala had recently come to end , so that no children were inside the school buildings that were damaged , Perez Molina said . In Guatemala City , 140 miles away from the quake 's epicenter , the quake made the desk and printer sway side to side in Fernando McDonald 's home office . McDonald , who shared a video of the quake with CNN 's iReport , described the quake as `` strong and long . '' Fearing powerful aftershocks , the government issued a `` red alert '' that warns people to take precautions , such as evacuating tall buildings . The alert stretches along the country 's entire Pacific coast . Are you there ? Share you stories , videos and images .
At least 48 people are dead , Guatemala 's president says . State media : 60,000 people remain without power after the quake . Comment: Homes and schools are reportedly destroyed by the quake .