An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale shook southern and central Mexico on January 2 (Friday). The earthquake is said to have claimed two lives and causing damage in a small town near the epicentre. The quake occurred at 7.58 am, local time in Guerrero state.
A sexagenarian man died after he fell while evacuating his apartment on the second floor in the capital, local authorities said.
A woman in her 50s "lost her life when her house collapsed on top of her," said Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda.
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The epicentre
The epicentre was located near Tecoanapa in Guerrero which is about 282 kilometre south of Mexico city and nearly 65 kilometre from the coastal city of Acapulco de Juarez. The effect was felt around 400 km away to the north in Mexico City.
Mayor says...
In a post on X on January 2, City Mayor Clara Brugada Molina said that as per the current report, 12 people were injured, 5 poles and 4 trees fell and there were 18 complaints of lack of power supply in various neighbourhoods. She assured that the teams were working relentlessly and that they would keep giving updates.
"Aftershocks continue from this morning's earthquake. We ask the population to remain calm, consult only official sources, as well as to have a family plan and always keep the Life Backpack ready," said Clara.
"I call on the population to remain calm, to inform themselves only through official channels, and not to be swayed or spread false information," said Pineda.
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Videos surface online
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was holding her first press conference of the year when the earthquake struck. In a video, she can be heard saying "it's shaking" and telling everyone to calmly move out.
People took to social media to share visuals of building shaking amid the quake. In one visual, the building can be seen swaying with iron bars rattling and in another, water gushes out of rooftop swimming pools. The chilling scenes left people scared.
In one video, the Metro starts shaking after which the services were stopped for over 40 minutes.
Several such scary visuals have appeared online with people sending prayers to those affected.
Quoting AFP, NDTV said that Karen Gomez, a 47-year-old office worker living on the 13th floor of an apartment building in Mexico City, was roused from her sleep by a street siren.
"I woke up in terror. My cellphone alert said it was a powerful earthquake."
