On the anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that hit the capital, Mexico City was shaken by a powerful seismic alarm, resulting in the death of at least one person. This Monday, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico’s central Pacific coast.
As per the initial assessment by the U.S. Geologic Survey, which had originally estimated the magnitude as 7.5, there were early indications of structural damage caused by the earthquake, which occurred at 1:05 p.M. In the local time zone.
According to the report, the earthquake occurred 37 kilometers (23 miles) to the southeast of Aquila, close to the border of Colima and Michoacan states, at a depth of 15.1 kilometers (9.4 miles).
One person was killed when a mall collapsed in the city port of Manzanillo, Colima, as stated by the Secretary of the Navy, according to President Manuel Andrés López Obrador’s tweet.
In Coalcoman, Michoacan, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, structures were harmed, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Carla Cárdenas, a 16-year-old who lives in Coalcoman, recounted, “It began gradually and then became increasingly intense, persisting and persisting until it eventually subsided.” Cárdenas quickly exited her family’s hotel and joined her neighbors in waiting.
She mentioned that the hotel and certain houses along the street exhibited cracks in their walls as well as portions of their facades and roofs that had detached.
Cárdenas stated, “There are cracks in the walls on the second floor, and the roof of the parking area of the hotel fell to the ground and made a booming sound.”
She stated that the medical facility in the city was greatly impacted, however, currently, she has not obtained any details regarding any fatalities.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said that the possible epicenter of a hazardous tsunami could be within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the coasts. According to Mexico’s National Civil Defense Agency, based on historical data on tsunamis, there were possible variations in water levels along the coastal areas near the epicenter, with as much as 32 inches (82 cm) of possible variations.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mayor of Mexico City, tweeted that there were no indications of harm in the capital.
In 1985 and 2017, significant, fatal earthquakes occurred on the identical day during a countrywide earthquake drill, signifying a fresh tremor that occurred just under an hour following the sounding of alarms.
U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Paul Earle expressed, “This occurrence is merely a coincidence,” referring to the fact that this is the third earthquake on September 19th. “There is no scientific explanation or statistical preference for earthquakes occurring in a specific month in Mexico.”
Earle stated, “However, one thing remains consistent: individuals actively search for and occasionally discover coincidences that resemble patterns. Additionally, there is no specific time of year or month when significant earthquakes occur anywhere across the planet.”
“We anticipated receiving this question immediately after it occurred,” Earle stated. “Occasionally, there are simply occurrences.”
According to Earle, the earthquake in Taiwan earlier today was not caused by or related to the drill that took place an hour before.
Garza expressed uncertainty about the authenticity of the earthquake alert as he mentioned that the alarm sounded shortly after the yearly drill. Similar to numerous individuals gathering outside following the earthquake, Humberto Garza stood outside a restaurant in Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood, clutching his three-year-old child.
“I heard the alarm, but it sounded quite distant,” he stated.
Outside the office of the city’s environmental advocate, numerous employees waited. Some seemed visibly disturbed.
The capital’s already notorious traffic was further aggravated by a power outage in certain areas of the city, including stoplights.