Earthquake Today: Massive 6.5 Magnitude Quake Shakes Mexico, Disrupts President Claudia Sheinbaum's Presser

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A powerful earthquake struck southern and central Mexico on Friday, disrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press briefing of the new year as seismic alarms went off.

Mexico's national seismological agency said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, with its epicentre located near San Marcos in Guerrero, a southern state close to the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco, according to PTI.

The US Geological Survey mentioned the quake struck at a depth of 21.7 miles (35 kilometres), with its epicentre located about 2.5 miles north-northwest of Rancho Viejo in Guerrero, a mountainous area roughly 57 miles northeast of Acapulco.

It reportedly stated the earthquake occurred at 1358 GMT, or 7:58 am local time.

Sheinbaum resumed her press briefing shortly afterward, saying she had spoken with Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado, who informed her that no major damage had been reported so far.

Meanwhile, residents and tourists in Mexico City and Acapulco hurried out into the streets as the tremors were felt.

Mexico City's central areas are especially prone to earthquake damage as they are built on soft, muddy ground that was once a lakebed, as per AFP.

Quakes that are felt most intensely in the capital typically originate off the Pacific coast near Guerrero state.

Previous earthquakes

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Mexico–Guatemala border region in November last year, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The agency said the quake occurred at a depth of 160 km (99 miles), reported Reuters.

Earlier, in August, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake was reported off the coast of Mexico's southern state of Chiapas. GFZ said that tremor struck at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles).

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Mexico's southern state of Chiapas in June last year, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The EMSC said the tremor occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

On September 19, 1985, a powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake ravaged large parts of Mexico City, killing nearly 13,000 people, according to official records.

(With inputs from agencies)

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