The Church of St. John the Baptist Amatitlán, which is over 350 years old, suffered serious damage as a result of the earthquake that hit the country last Wednesday.

Newsroom (21/02/2022 10:30,Gaudium Press ) The earthquake that struck Guatemala last Wednesday, 16 February, caused the death of three people, affected another 30 thousand, and damaged a historic church.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8 and happened at 1:12 a.m., according to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology of the Central American country. El Salvador and Mexico also felt the quake.

The Church of St. John the Baptist Amatitlán was one of the buildings that fell victim to the earthquake. The 350-year-old church is located 30 km from the capital, Guatemala City, and suffered major damage.

The church is being assessed by experts and a final diagnosis of damage will be announced soon, an official statement from the church said.

In a video posted on social networks it is possible to see that several parts of the roof of the church collapsed and large cracks appeared in the walls of the building.

For safety measures the church will remain inaccessible to the faithful. Masses and other activities have been transferred to another church until further notice.

In the official statement, the priests of St. John the Baptist church thank parishioners for their solidarity and ask for prayers for the restoration of it. (FM)

With information from ACIPrensa.

Compiled by Sandra Chisholm