A powerful earthquake of 7.5 on the Richter scale affected the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, Tuesday, June 23. In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, the tremor, which left at least six people dead, was felt even in the capital Mexico, already affected by deadly earthquakes in 2017 and 1985, and caused a tsunami warning until Hawaii.
Mexico, already grappling with the Covid-19 health crisis , was shaken Tuesday (June 23rd) by a violent earthquake that left at least six people dead, hundreds of frightened people rushed out of their homes and triggered an alert to the tsunami from Peru to Hawaii. This earthquake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale, according to the National Seismological Service of Mexico, occurred in the late morning. Its epicenter was located in the state of Oaxaca where the six deaths occurred, according to local authorities.i Why read La Croix?+La Croix chooses in the flood of current events nuggets to be highlighted, by favoring hindsight and analysis.
→ REPORTAGE. Deconfinement, Mexico discovers the “new normal”
One of the victims is a worker at the refinery of the Pemex oil company in Salina Cruz, which stopped working due to a fire. ” We had to rush out because the market was in danger of collapsing ,” said Juana Martinez, a florist in Oaxaca. Already we were selling almost nothing because of the pandemic, now if we close the market it will be even worse for us. “
The quake, which caused serious material damage in the state of Oaxaca, was felt even in the capital Mexico. It was followed by several hundred aftershocks. When the sirens started to howl, hundreds of people took to the streets of Mexico City, some with masks on their faces, others exposed and not respecting the health guidelines in effect during the coronavirus crisis.
Shaking buildings
Office and residential buildings shook for long seconds. Fathers of families held their children at arm’s length and everyone moved as far as possible from the facades of buildings for fear of a collapse. “ We confirm that the magnitude was 7.5. Fortunately, we have no significant damage , “said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in a video posted on social networks.Andrés Manuel✔@lopezobrador_
Tercer mensaje al pueblo de México tras sismo.
21.6KTwitter Ads info and privacy14.3K people are talking about this
” There were landslides, broken glass, awnings fell, barriers too, but nothing serious. The strategic installations did not suffer any damage, in other words the ports, the airports, the refineries, the hydroelectric plants. Everything is in good condition, “he said. Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Twitter that only minor damage has been reported in the megalopolis, home to 22 million people.
After the earthquake, the United States government issued a tsunami alert for the Mexican Pacific coast, Central America, Ecuador, Peru and Hawaii. The alert clarified that waves up to three meters high could hit a 1,000 km area around the epicenter.
Covid-19 patients kept in solitary confinement
The phenomenon surprised many residents of the capital who, due to the pandemic, have become used to working from home. “ We worked in pajamas after breakfast. So we had to go out in that outfit on the street, ”says Sonia Flores Cano, 29. Medical staff evacuated hospitals in the capital, but those with Covid-19 remained in isolation.
→ ANALYSIS. In Mexico, “earthquakes don’t kill, corruption does,”
Since the start of the epidemic, the coronavirus has infected at least 191,410 people in Mexico and caused 23,377 deaths, according to an official report published on Tuesday.
The last major earthquake in Mexico dates back to September 2017, with 370 deaths. On September 19, 1985, an earthquake of magnitude 8.1, one of the most destructive in the history of the country, had struck the Mexican capital, killing more than 10,000 and destroying hundreds of buildings.
CNET NEWS BLOG 