At least two people have been killed after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck western Mexico on Monday — the anniversary of two devastating earthquakes in 1985 and 2017.
Most important points:
- At least two people were killed, including one crushed by the facade of a department store
- The earthquake struck near Mexico’s west coast and close to Michoacan’s border with Colima state
- The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas
The two died in the port of Manzanillo in Colima state, authorities said, with one person being crushed by the facade of a department store and another person found dead in a shopping center.
Social media showed the roof of the shopping center collapsing on the top floor – a gym – as people screamed for help.
The earthquake, which struck shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time, damaged buildings in the capital Mexico City, cut power and caused residents to clamber outside to safety.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said there were no immediate reports of major damage from the earthquake, which swept through Mexico on the anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that hit the country in 1985 and 2017.
Authorities have reported damage to several hospitals in the western state of Michoacan near the epicenter, which is in a sparsely populated part of Mexico.
One person was injured by falling glass at one of the hospitals, the government said.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the earthquake’s epicenter on Mexico’s west coast, close to Michoacan’s border with Colima state
It was relatively shallow, only 15 kilometers deep, which would have amplified the impact, it said.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, saying waves of 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible.
‘The 19th is a day to be afraid of’
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of the country’s most prestigious higher education sites, said there was no scientific explanation for three major earthquakes on the same day and attributed it to pure coincidence.
But others couldn’t quite believe it.
“It seems like a curse,” says Isa Montes, a 34-year-old graphic designer in the city’s central Roma district.
“It’s this date. There’s something about the 19th,” said business owner Ernesto Lanzetta.
“The 19th is a day to be afraid of.”
Thousands of people died in the September 19, 1985 earthquake and more than 350 people died in the September 19, 2017 earthquake.
Many Mexicans responded to the latest earthquake by posting a series of memes online to air their fears and find humor in the natural disaster.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also noted property damage near the epicenter.
Images of heavily damaged buildings were seen on social media.
Mexican authorities said the seismic alarm had sounded nearly two minutes before the earthquake struck, giving residents time to evacuate.
Still, some people in the capital struggled to understand that it was a real earthquake, as the government had already raised the alarm earlier in the day as an exercise to commemorate past earthquakes.
In Coalcoman, Michoacan, not far from the epicenter, photos of shingles had been knocked off houses and walls of buildings cracked from the force of the earthquake.
In one store, merchandise was scattered across the floor.
The power went out in parts of Mexico City’s trendy Roma neighborhood, about 400 kilometers from the epicenter.
The national electric utility said 1.2 million users were affected by power outages.
Roma residents lined the streets with pets, while tourists visiting a local market with a guide were visibly confused and upset.
Traffic lights stopped working and people grabbed their phones, sent text messages or waited for calls to come through.
Reuters