6.5-magnitude quake shakes Mexico City and beach resort, killing two
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- A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Guerrero, Mexico, causing damage to infrastructure and triggering alarms in Mexico City.
- A 67-year-old man died evacuating in Mexico City; minor airport damage reported, but operations unaffected.
- President Sheinbaum calmly evacuated her press conference; 420 aftershocks recorded, with Acapulco still recovering from a hurricane.
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MEXICO CITY - A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico’s capital and a tourist hotspot on the Pacific coast on Jan 2, killing at least two people and causing moderate damage in a small town near the epicentre.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck shortly before 8am local time near Acapulco, a major port and beach resort.
It was felt around 400km away to the north in Mexico City, where alarms sent people rushing into the street for safety, disrupting a holiday weekend.
A 60-year-old man died after falling while evacuating his second-floor apartment in the capital, local authorities said.
Twelve others were injured, city Mayor Clara Brugada wrote on social media, but there were no reports of major damage in the country’s largest city.
Videos shared online showed the Angel of Independence - a golden angel atop a 45m-high column in a roundabout on one of the capital’s busiest avenues - swaying from side to side as the earthquake hit.
The seismic alarm sent crowds evacuating into the streets, many wearing towels or pyjamas and cradling anxious pets.
As of midday, Mexico’s seismological service registered 420 aftershocks, the strongest of which was a magnitude 4.7.
It said that the earthquake’s epicentre was situated 14km south-west of the town of San Marcos in the state of Guerrero.
A woman in her 50s “lost her life when her house collapsed on top of her,” said Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado.
San Marcos Mayor Misael Lorenzo Castillo said around 50 houses were destroyed and “all the houses have cracks”.
Residents showed an AFP journalist the cracks in the walls of their homes and sections of collapsed walls.
“San Marcos has been badly affected, devastated,” lamented Rogelio Moreno, a resident, standing in front of his damaged home.
Authorities reported landslides over highways, gas leaks, and damage to homes, public buildings and hospitals around Guerrero state.
The south-western state is home to Acapulco and other beach resort areas, which are a major draw for holiday tourists. Acapulco, the state’s largest city, is still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane that devastated the area in 2023.
In Acapulco, Ricardo, a tourist from the central Mexican state of Morelos, fled his hotel shirtless after sirens sounded.
‘Woke in terror’
The earthquake also provided drama to Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily press conference.
She was speaking at the National Palace in Mexico City when earthquake alarms sounded. She noted the ground was shaking beneath her before calmly evacuating alongside journalists. She resumed the press conference shortly afterwards and said there were no immediate reports of major damage.
But in Mexico City, videos shared online showed cracks inside homes, tall buildings shaking against each other and a traffic light smashing into the road beneath it.
Ms Karen Gomez, a 47-year-old office worker living on the 13th floor of an apartment building in Mexico City, told AFP she was roused from her sleep by a street siren.
“I woke up in terror. My cellphone alert said it was a powerful earthquake.”
Ms Norma Ortega, a 57-year-old kindergarten director, living in a 10th-floor apartment, said she could feel her building shake.
Mexico’s aviation authority said the international airports of Mexico City and Acapulco had sustained some minor damage, but said those had not affected operations.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (centre) standing with members of the media and officials in a courtyard of the National Palace, following an earthquake in Mexico City on Jan 2.
PHOTO: EPA
Loudspeakers on lampposts
Mexico is situated between five tectonic plates and as such, is one of the world’s most seismically active countries.
The centre of Mexico City is built on the muddy subsoil of what was once the bed of a lake, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.
The quakes most strongly felt usually originate off Guerrero state on the Pacific coast.
On Sept 19, 1985, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake devastated a vast swathe of Mexico City, leaving nearly 13,000 dead, mostly in the city, according to official figures.
In 2017, also on Sept 19, a 7.1-magnitude quake killed 369 people, also mostly in Mexico City.
Early warning systems, including smartphone apps, have been developed to warn citizens strong quakes and urge them to reach safety.
Mexico City has also installed loudspeakers on lampposts to broadcast the alerts. AFP, REUTERS
