A devastating earthquake hits Mexico

At least two people were killed Friday in Mexico after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the southwest of the country in the morning, destroying many homes near its epicenter on the Pacific coast.

The earthquake occurred at 07:58 local time (13:58 GMT), and prompted residents of the capital to evacuate their homes, some of them in their pajamas.

President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to evacuate the presidential palace during her regular morning press conference when earthquake sirens were heard. She returned with the journalists who were present minutes later.

Sheinbaum said that the epicenter of the earthquake was located 15 kilometers from San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero, that is, about 230 kilometers from Mexico City.

Sheinbaum stated that initial reports indicate that there was no major damage in Mexico City or Guerrero. Authorities in Mexico City announced the death of a 60-year-old man as a result of a fall while leaving his home.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported that 12 people were injured.

The city of San Marcos was more damaged, which is close to the famous city of Acapulco, which has about 650,000 people. The governor of Guerrero state, Evelyn Salgado, said that a woman in her fifties “was killed when her house collapsed on her.”

The mayor of San Marcos, which has 13,000 people, Misael Lorenzo Castillo, said that about fifty houses were completely destroyed, saying that “all the houses were cracked.”

Residents in San Marcos pointed to cracks in the walls of their homes and parts of collapsed walls.

The National Seismological Authority reported that 546 low-intensity aftershocks were recorded. No tsunami warning was issued, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On September 19, 1985, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake destroyed a large part of Mexico, killing about 13,000 people, according to official figures.