A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shakes the capital and regions of central Mexico

An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook central Mexico on Thursday, with no damage reported so far, local authorities said.

The epicenter of the earthquake, recorded at 2:03 pm (20:03 GMT) and which triggered the preventive warning system, was in the community of Chiautla de Tapia, in the central state of Puebla, Mexico’s Seismological Service said.

At this time, “no damage has been reported in Mexico City,” Mayor Martí Batres reported on his X account.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador immediately contacted civil protection authorities to learn more about possible damage.

“Apparently the shaking wasn’t that strong. In any case, we will provide more information soon,” the president said in a video on X.

Sergio Salomón, governor of Puebla, where the epicenter was, reported that the quake was observed in several locations, but no possible effects were reported.

The Mexican Seismological Service initially estimated the earthquake at 5.8 degrees, but revised it down to 5.7.

Warning for citizens

The earthquake caused some fears, especially in the capital, where the streets were filled with people who came out as soon as they heard the sound of the seismic alarm that warns of the shock for up to a minute.

“We were in the restaurant when the alarm went off. “We all ran away, leaving our dishes half-done,” Andrea Muñoz, 28, who works in the capital’s Condesa-Roma sector, one of the most prone to earthquakes due to the lake’s subsoil, told AFP.

Several streets, such as the touristy Paseo de la Reforma, where the megacity’s tallest buildings are located, were filled with crowds of people, many with cellphones in hand trying to call their friends or family.

“I was very scared because the building was moving a lot (…) It didn’t get worse, the most important thing is that everyone is doing well,” Ramón Hernández, who works in a parking lot, told AFP.

The earthquakes in September

Mexico lies between five tectonic plates whose movements make the country one of the countries recording the highest seismic activity in the world, especially on the Pacific coast, from the border with Guatemala to the state of Jalisco (west).

On September 19, 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake with an epicenter on the Pacific coast shook much of the center and south of the country, killing more than 10,000 and destroying large parts of Mexico City became.

Why the date of September 19 is fateful for Mexico

Also on September 19, but in 2017, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed 369, the majority in Mexico City.

On the same day, in 2022, the center of the country was rocked by another earthquake, a few hours after millions of Mexicans took part in a civil protection exercise. (JO)