Strong Earthquake Hits Southern and Central Mexico
On January 3, Mexico City experienced a powerful earthquake that shook southern and central Mexico, causing disruption during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the year. Seismic alarms blared as the earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.5, struck near the town of San Marcos in Guerrero, close to the popular resort of Acapulco. The national seismological agency in Mexico reported over 500 aftershocks following the initial quake.
The aftermath of the earthquake included landslides in and around Acapulco, with the state’s civil defense agency noting the impact on highways in the region. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed the tragic death of a 50-year-old woman in a community near the epicenter, as her home collapsed. Additionally, a hospital in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, sustained significant structural damage, leading to the evacuation of several patients.
As the ground trembled, residents and tourists in Mexico City and Acapulco hurried into the streets for safety. Mayor Clara Brugada reported a casualty in Mexico City, where a person succumbed to a medical emergency and fall while evacuating a building. The US Geological Survey pinpointed the earthquake’s epicenter 2.5 miles north-northwest of Rancho Viejo in Guerrero, at a depth of 21.7 miles.
Following the earthquake, President Sheinbaum resumed her press briefing promptly. Dr. José Raymundo Díaz Taboada, a resident of Acapulco, described hearing a loud rumble and barking dogs before the seismic alert sounded on his cellphone. He recounted the intense shaking that followed, though noting it was milder compared to previous earthquakes. Dr. Taboada had prepared an emergency backpack in anticipation of aftershocks and expressed concern for friends in the Costa Chica region, southeast of Acapulco, due to disrupted communications.
Despite the seismic activity, Mexico City and Acapulco remained resilient in the face of natural disaster, with communities coming together to support one another in the aftermath of the earthquake.
