A jolt ripped through southern Mexico Friday morning, a powerful earthquake striking close to the vibrant tourist haven of Acapulco. The ground began to tremble, sending shockwaves that reached hundreds of kilometers inland, even disrupting official proceedings in the nation’s capital.
The quake, initially measured at a magnitude of 6.5, dramatically interrupted President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press conference of the year. Seismic alarms wailed across Mexico City as the earth moved beneath their feet, a stark reminder of the region’s seismic activity.
The epicenter was pinpointed near the town of San Marcos, nestled along the Pacific coast near Acapulco, roughly 400 kilometers southwest of Mexico City. The suddenness of the event caught many off guard, triggering immediate responses from residents and authorities alike.
The first tremors were felt around 8 a.m. local time, sending people scrambling for safety. Reports quickly surfaced of landslides blocking roads around Acapulco and along key highways throughout the state, hindering access and raising concerns for isolated communities.
Panic gripped Mexico City as residents and tourists poured into the streets, seeking open spaces away from potentially collapsing structures. The city, built on a lakebed, is particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage, amplifying the sense of urgency.
Karen Gomez, a 47-year-old office worker on the 13th floor of a Mexico City apartment building, described waking in sheer terror. A piercing street siren and a frantic alert on her cellphone confirmed her worst fears – a major earthquake was underway.
Norma Ortega, a 57-year-old kindergarten director also living high above the city, felt her entire building sway. The sensation was deeply unsettling, a visceral experience that left her shaken and frightened. “I got a terrible fright,” she recounted.
Further south, near Acapulco, Dr. Jose Raymundo Diaz Taboada, residing on the hills overlooking the city, heard a deep, ominous rumble. Simultaneously, a chorus of barking dogs filled the neighborhood, instinctively sensing the impending danger.
His cellphone’s seismic alert sounded just as the shaking began, escalating from a subtle tremor to a powerful, noisy force. The experience underscored the widespread impact of the earthquake, felt across diverse landscapes and communities.
