6.5 magnitude earthquake in Mexico: two people died, President’s press conference stopped midway

Mexico City: At least two people died after a massive earthquake struck southern and central Mexico on Friday. Due to this earthquake, the first press conference of the country’s President Claudia Sheinbaum of the New Year was disrupted. According to Mexico’s national earthquake agency, the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 and was centered near the city of San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero, near the resort of Acapulco on the Pacific coast. More than 500 aftershocks were also felt.

The state civil protection agency reported that landslides occurred in several places around Acapulco and along other highways in the state. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said a 50-year-old woman who lived near the epicenter died when her house collapsed.

Authorities said a hospital in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, suffered severe structural damage and several patients were evacuated. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said one more person died during the earthquake.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 21.7 miles (35 kilometers) and its epicenter was 2.5 miles north-northwest of Rancho Viejo, Guerrero. The area is in a mountainous region and is located about 57 miles north-east of Acapulco. Sheinbaum resumed his press conference shortly after the earthquake.