Strongest Earthquake In a Century Hits Mexico, Killing Dozens

The most powerful earthquake in 100 years hit Mexico Thursday night and was felt by 50 million people all the way to Guatemala City. The death toll is at least 32 people with a magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale.

The quake was registered off Mexico’s southern coast just as heavy rains from Hurricane Katia lashed in the east. The epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, some 600 miles southeast of the capital and 74 miles from the Pacific coast.

An 8.1-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Mexico late Thursday. It was felt more than 600 miles from the epicenter and there have been multiple aftershocks since (photo: Google Maps/USGS).

The states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, home to about 9 million people, are located closest to the earthquake’s epicenter. They are two of the most impoverished areas in Mexico and were hit the hardest.

Alejandro Murat, the governor of Oaxaca, reported that at least 23 people had died in the state, and local officials said residents were buried under the rubble of buildings. Luis Manuel García Moreno, the secretary of civil defense for the state of Chiapas, said the toll there had risen to seven, and two children died in the state of Tabasco, one when a wall collapsed, the other after a respirator lost power in a hospital.

Oaxaca was one of the closest states to the epicenter of the quake, killing at least 23 people while many more remain buried under the rubble (photo: El Universal).

Schools in at least 10 Mexican states and in Mexico City were closed on Friday, as the President ordered an immediate assessment of the damage nationwide. In the hours after the quake, the National Seismological Service registered several aftershocks.

Users on social media shared several videos of the earthquake as it was happening, like this one of Mexico City’s famous landmark, Ángel de la Independencia, shaking back and forth.

While Mexico City seemed to have been spared extensive damage to infrastructure, according to the government’s preliminary assessment, the more severe effects, as well as the tally of damage and death in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, will probably be difficult to assess initially, given that many areas are remote.

“We are assessing the damage, which will probably take hours, if not days,” said President Enrique Peña Nieto, who addressed the nation just two hours after the quake. “But the population is safe over all. There should not be a major sense of panic.”

The quake hit hardest in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, which happen to be two of the most impoverished regions in Mexico. Authorities have not assessed the totally of the damages yet (photo: Mario Arturo Martínez/European Press Photo Agency).

Also, a tsunami was confirmed in the country, with one wave coming in at 1 meter (3 feet), according to information from the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Tsunami waves taller than 3 meters (10 feet) could hit the coast of Mexico, while 3-foot waves could reach as far as Ecuador, New Zealand, and Vanuatu.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott offered the Mexico assistance following the earthquake. Mexico came to Texas’ aid following Hurricane Harvey, sending Red Cross volunteers, food and supplies to the state.