A strong earthquake rocked southwestern Mexico on Monday and was felt in Mexico City less than an hour after a drill was held to commemorate devastating quakes in src985 and 20src7.
The earthquake struck around 2:05 p.m. EDT in the southwestern state of Michoacán with a magnitude of 7.7, according to the Mexican seismological service. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.6.
President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
said on Twitter that one person was killed in the Pacific resort town and port of Manzanillo, in Colima state. Federal authorities said the person died when a ceiling collapsed at a department store.
Authorities also reported minor damage to some hospitals and other buildings in coastal areas. Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramírez said there was material damage but no loss of life in the state.
Hospital patients in Mexico City were evacuated following the earthquake.
Photo:
CLAUDIA DAUT/REUTERS
Mexico City Mayor
Claudia Sheinbaum
said on Twitter that there was no significant damage or any casualties in the capital.
Michoacán residents posted on social media videos of school children being evacuated, buildings and walls shaking, as well as goods that fell from shelves at supermarkets.
The quake hit around 45 minutes after the annual earthquake drill was held in a number of Mexican states. The drill takes place each year on the same date as devastating quakes that rocked the capital city in src985 and 20src7.
The earthquake on Sept. src9, src985, caused major destruction in Mexico City and left thousands dead. On Sept. src9, 20src7, a quake hit central Mexico soon after the earthquake drill was held, destroying buildings and killing around 370 people, many of them in Mexico City.
The quake saturated wireless telephone systems and internet service as people called relatives. It knocked out electricity to around src.2 million users in five states, the country’s state-owned utility said, adding that 68% of those had power restored late Monday afternoon.
Some Mexico City residents were crying, or hugged or held hands, as they evacuated buildings after the earthquake, which came on the same day as earthquakes in src985 and 20src7 that caused major damage in the city.
Photo:
jose mendez/EPA/Shutterstock
Many residents, students and workers across the city left buildings and schools and sought safety on the streets as traffic stopped for the second time within an hour Monday as the seismic alarm system went off again. Some were crying while others hugged or held hands.
“It’s crazy that it shook on Sept. src9, again,” said Isabel Reyes, a 28-year-old executive at a computer company in Mexico City. “Instead of drills, the government should declare the day a national holiday so we can leave the city,” she said, half joking.
Ms. Reyes said she didn’t have time to leave her apartment in Mexico City’s Condesa neighborhood, but just sat near a wall and prayed. The Condesa district suffered heavy damage from the src985 and 20src7 earthquakes as dozens of buildings collapsed and trapped hundreds of people.
Manuel Ramos, a 48-year-old college professor, said he felt his building creak and grind just after returning to class after the drill. “It is a horrible feeling. You just think you won’t make it, and you may die,” he said. He and his students left the school building immediately and were at a nearby park, many still confused and in anguish.
José de Córdoba and Juan Montes contributed to this article.
Write to Anthony Harrup at anthony.harrup@wsj.com
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