A powerful earthquake in Mexico: there are dead and significant destruction
3 January 08:48
On Friday, January 2, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 occurred in Mexico, which was felt in the southern and central regions of the country.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Associated Press.
According to the National Seismological Agency of Mexico, the epicenter of the earthquake was near the city of San Marcos in the state of Guerrero, near the resort of Acapulco on the Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey clarified that the tremors occurred at a depth of about 35 km.
The State Civil Defense Agency reported landslides in the Acapulco area and on several state highways. After the first tremors, residents and tourists in Mexico City and Acapulco took to the streets en masse.
The tremors interrupted President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the new year due to the seismic alarm.
The governor of the state of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, said that a 50-year-old woman died as a result of the collapse of a residential building in a village near the epicenter.
In addition, a hospital in the city of Chilpancingo was heavily damaged and its patients were evacuated.
According to the authorities, the assessment of the earthquake’s consequences is ongoing.
Why earthquakes are common in Mexico
Mexico is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. Several tectonic plates converge here, so volcanoes often erupt and earthquakes occur. The city of Mexico City was built on loose soil on the site of a dried-up lake, so it is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.
The most destructive earthquake in the history of Mexico, with a magnitude of 8.1, occurred on September 19, 1985. About 10 thousand people died then. Exactly 32 years later, on September 19, 2017, the country experienced another strong earthquake.
