Deadly Magnitude of 7.6 Earthquake Rattles Mexico, 1 Killed

Mexico: At least one person died after a strong quake of magnitude 7.6 shook Mexico’s central Pacific coast on Monday, on the anniversary of two earlier devastating quakes. A seismic alarm sounded in the rattled capital.Also Read – Videos Show Buildings Swaying, Power Outages in Mexico After Massive Quake; Tsunami Alert Sounded | WATCH

There were at least some early reports of damage to buildings from the quake, which hit at 1:05 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey, which had initially put the magnitude at 7.5. It said the quake was centered 37 kilometers (23 miles) southeast of Aquila near the boundary of Colima and Michoacan states and at a depth of 15.1 kilometers (9.4 miles). Also Read – Mexico Struck by Massive 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake, 13 Killed in Helicopter Crash Assessing Damage

While on the phone with Colima State governor Indira Vizcaíno Silva, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the secretary of the navy told him one person was killed in the port city of Manzanillo, Colima, when a wall at a mall collapsed. Also Read – Mexico Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 305; Search And Rescue Operations Resumed After Tremors on Saturday

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said there were no immediate reports of major damage in the capital after the tremors, which rumbled through Mexico on the same day as destructive quakes battered the country in 1985 and 2017.

“It seems like a curse,” Isa Montes, a 34-year-old graphic designer in the city’s central Roma neighborhood, said of the quake’s timing as helicopters flew overhead, surveying the city.

Mexico’s National Civil Defense agency said that based on historic data of tsunamis in Mexico, variations of as much as 32 inches (82 cm) were possible in coastal water levels near the epicenter.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 186 miles (300 kilometers) of the epicenter.

Alarms for the new quake came less than an hour after quake alarms warbled in a nationwide earthquake simulation marking major quakes that struck on the same date in 1985 and 2017.

The magnitude 8.0 quake centered near the coast of Guerrero state in 1985 killed at least 9,500 people. More than 360 people died in the magnitude 7.1 quake that struck in 2017.

POWER OUT

In Coalcoman, Michoacan, not far from the epicenter, pictures showed shingles knocked off homes and building walls cracked by the force of the quake. In one store, merchandise was scattered across the floor.

Power was knocked out in parts of Roma in Mexico City, some 400 km (250 miles) from the epicenter. The national power utility said outages hit 1.2 million users.

Residents of Roma stood on the streets cradling pets, while tourists visiting a local market with a guide were visibly confused and upset. Traffic lights stopped working, and people clutched their phones, sending text messages or waiting for calls to get through.