Mexico earthquake: Major quake in Michoacan state followed by tsunami warning
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has said that tsunami waves reaching up to 3 meters could hit Mexico. Initial tsunami waves have likely already occurred in coastal locations such as Manzanillo and Acapulco, and could strike tourist hotspot Puerto Vallarta imminently as well.
Tsunami waves less than 0.3 meters could also occur along the Pacific coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru, according to the organization.
The earthquake epicenter occurred in a sparsely populated region of Michoacan state, very near the coastline. In nearby Colima, around 100km from epicenter, very strong shaking capable of “moderate” damage was reported, per USGS data.
In Mexico City, roughly 500 km away, “light to moderate” shaking was reported, which is capable of “very light” damage, especially to vulnerable structures. There are no known casualties or damage yet recorded in Mexico City, according to the city’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Local news channels reported that firefighters closed some buildings in Mexico City to the public due to concerns of collapse.
According to USGS, the quake struck about 37 kilometers south east of the city of Aquila. The quake depth was about 15.1 kilometers, the USGS also reported.
The epicenter of that 7.1-magnitude earthquake was 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) east-northeast of San Juan Raboso and 34.1 miles (55 km) south-southwest of the city of Puebla, in Puebla state, the USGS reported at the time.
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