Late Tuesday, a powerful earthquake struck Mexico’s southwest, causing widespread shaking as far as Mexico City and killing at least one person.
The 7.0 magnitude quake struck 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) east-northeast of Los rganos de San Agustin, about eight miles from the Pacific Coast beach resort city of Acapulco, according to the US Geological Survey. It was discovered at a depth of 7.8 miles (12.6 kilometers). According to the Mexican State Civil Protection Secretariat, at least 92 aftershocks were recorded, including one with a magnitude of 5.2.
Alarms could be heard in Mexico City shortly before the ground began to shake. A tsunami warning was initially issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but it was later canceled.
Eliodoro Hurtado, a 19-year-old Mexican man, was the lone fatality reported. He died in the state of Guerrero.
There have been no reports of major damage in the capital, which is about 231 miles (372 kilometers) from the epicenter, according to Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum wrote on social media that many people had lost power and that authorities were working to restore it. Train service has been resumed, according to the city’s metro system, following a safety review.
The country’s state-owned utility service, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), said in a statement that around 1.6 million customers were without power in Mexico City and four states. CFE stated that it was working to restore power to the areas affected.
Because of its location on the edge of the North American tectonic plate, earthquakes are common in Mexico. Two major earthquakes struck the country in September 2017, and a magnitude-8.0 quake killed an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City on September 19, 1985.
The quake left a huge scar on the city, prompting changes in building codes and stronger earthquake protections.
In Guerrero state, where Tuesday’s epicenter was located, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there was no “significant damage.”
While there have been no reports of serious damage from the epicenter, Lopez Obrador said authorities have received reports of falling rocks.
