7.1 quake hits Mexico, leaves at least one dead

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook central and southeastern Mexico on Tuesday and claimed one fatality, officials announced.

“A man died in the fall of a power pole in the municipality of Coyuca de Benítez,” Guerrero state, the region’s governor, Héctor Astudillo, said.

Speaking about material damage, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that only “rock falls have been reported, the same in Morelos (center), there is no damage in Oaxaca (south), there is no damage in Puebla (center)”, nor in Mexico City.

The earthquake occurred at 8:47 PM local time Tuesday and had an epicenter 11 km southeast of Acapulco, Guerrero, southeast Mexico, according to the National Seismological Center. Some aftershocks, of magnitude 4 to 5, were recorded.

“So far no serious damage has been registered,” wrote on Twitter the mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum.

“We have some power cuts, but nothing relevant, the metro and buses continue to function,” stated Omar García, Secretary of Citizen Security.

The mayor of Acapulco, Adela Román, said that many people suffered nervous breakdowns and were worried about aftershocks. She also cited the detection of gas leaks in residential areas.

The earthquake was also felt with moderation in some regions of the state of Mexico and Veracruz (east).

The quake sparked concern in central Mexico City, where residents recall the tragic 7.1 earthquake recorded on September 19, 2017, which shook the center of the country and left 369 dead, mostly in the capital. Tourists staying in hotels on Reforma Avenue, one of the capital’s main avenues, also abandoned their rooms.

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