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A powerful earthquake hit Central Mexico on September 19th. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP

A powerful earthquake hit Central Mexico on September 19th. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP


The Inertia

Another earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake measured a 7.1 on the Richter Scale, just weeks after a more powerful one killed 61 people.

The earthquake’s epicenter was just outside of the city of Puebla, but was strong enough to be felt in Mexico City. Interestingly, September 19th is exactly 32 years after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake killed nearly 10,000 people in 1985.

Earlier in September, the strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in more than a hundred years struck off the coast of Chiapas. Measuring a magnitude 8.1, it sparked tsunami warnings throughout Central America and the Pacific and was felt as far away as the nation’s capital, Mexico City, more than 600 miles from the epicenter.

The September 19th quake struck eight kilometres southeast of Atencingo in the central state of Puebla.

The September 19th quake struck eight kilometres southeast of Atencingo in the central state of Puebla.

The most recent earthquake was 33 miles deep, and as of this reporting, according to local news sources, more than 60 people are dead. The Governor of Morelos state, Graco Ramirez, said that at least 42 people were killed in central Morelos while Puebla’s state interior department reported eleven. At least eight more died in the State of Mexico, and hundreds more are feared dead–the death toll is rising with each passing hour.

“I have called a meeting for the National Emergency Committee to evaluate the situation and to coordinate any actions,” wrote President Enrique Peña Nieto on Twitter. “Plan MX has been activated.” Plan MX is a federal system in place to respond to major emergencies.

Puebla’s Governor reported severely damaged buildings. Schools and airports in the area have been closed until further notice as their structural integrity needs to be assessed.

More on this as this story develops.

 
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