A major earthquake reported late Tuesday morning near Oaxaca, Mexico, has left one person dead, according to Mexico President President Andrés Manuel López Obrado .
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake caused buildings in Mexico city to vibrate and sent thousands throughout the area to flee into the streets. The quake happened about 11:30 a.m. EDT, 19 miles outside of the San Miguel del Puerto area, and the tremors were felt throughout South and Central Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The person who died in Tuesday's earthquake was inside the southern Mexico resort of Huatulco, where a building had collapsed on top of the citizen, according to López Obrado. Other reports were of minor damage such as broken windows and collapsed walls.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 7 miles south-southwest of Santa Maria Zapotitlan in Oaxaca state. The U.S. Tsunami Center issued a tsunami warning for Mexico and Ecuador after the quake, but it has since expired.
Credit: Via https://earthquake.usgs.gov/
Credit: Via https://earthquake.usgs.gov/
No ports, refineries or airports were damaged despite there being more than 140 aftershocks, the president said in a video-recorded phone conversation with his civil defense chief.
Seismic alarms sounded midmorning with enough warning for residents to exit buildings. Power was knocked out to some areas. Helicopters flew over downtown Mexico City and police patrols sounded their sirens.
Groups of people still milled around in close proximity on streets and sidewalks in some neighborhoods of the capital about an hour after the quake. Many were not wearing masks despite past appeals from municipal officials for them to do so as a way to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Mari González of the Princess Mayev hotel in Huatulco said staff and guests were able to evacuate the building before the quake, but that 45 minutes after the initial quake they were still outside as strong aftershocks continued.
“It was strong, very strong,” she said.
González said there was some visible broken glass and mirrors, but no major damage. The staff was waiting for the aftershocks to dissipate before fully evaluating the property.
The USGS estimated that some 2 million people felt strong or moderate shaking and another 49 million felt weak or light shaking.
The earthquake hit a quake-prone region where four underground tectonic plates come together. In the past 35 years, there have been at least seven magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes, killing around 10,000 people — most of them in a 1985 8.0 quake.
“This has the potential to be a deadly earthquake and cause significant damage,” U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Paul Earle said. “This area is capable of and has had larger earthquakes in the past.”
Guatemala's national disaster agency issued a tsunami alert for its southern Pacific coast forecasting the arrival of waves up to a meter high. It advised people to move away from the sea.
Two other earthquakes hit nearby earlier Tuesday. A 4.9-magnitude quake occurred about 7 miles outside Santa Maria Zapotitlán, and another 4.3-magnitude earthquake hit east of those quakes in San Miguel Tenango.
The Associated Press contibuted to this report. This story is developing.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
