Southwest Mexico Struck by 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake, Buildings Sway in Capital
(Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck southwestern Mexico on Monday, killing one person and prompting evacuations and causing buildings to sway in the capital. It occurred the same day as large tremors registered in 1985 and 2017.
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The earthquake was near La Placita de Morelos, in Michoacan state along the Pacific Coast, about 475 kilometers (295 miles) west of Mexico City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts located within 300 kilometers of the epicenter, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, asking people located in the threatened coastal areas to remain alert.
“We’re going to start compiling information and hope with all our hearts that nothing serious has happened,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a video posted to his social media accounts.
One person was killed when a department store ceiling collapsed in Manzanillo in the state of Colima on the Pacific coast, said Laura Velazquez Alzua, the coordinator of the national civil protection agency. In Michoacan, one person was injured by falling glass in a rural hospital. Homes suffered structural damage in Manzanillo, and two hospitals impacted by the temblor were still under assessment, Velazquez said.
The earthquake was felt at 1:05 p.m. in the capital, and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said no initial issues had been reported. The governor of Jalisco state, which also felt the quake, said no major damage had been reported.
Buildings in the downtown area and business district along Mexico City’s Reforma avenue were evacuated. The shaking occurred less than an hour after the city held its annual earthquake drill to commemorate big quakes registered in 1985 and 2017, making it the third the country has experienced on this date.
The tremor affected power for 1.2 million users in five states, according to state utility CFE. Electricity had been restored to 68% of those users within hours, according to a statement from the utility. State oil company Pemex had no reports of damage at its installations.
(Updates with death, additional damage in fourth paragraph and statement from state utility in final paragraph.)
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