According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude 7 and was located 17 km (about 10 mi) northeast of Acapulco.
Guerrero state Gov. Hector Astudillo, Guerrero state governor, said late Tuesday night on Milenio Television that one person was killed in a fall from a post in Coyuca de Benitez, near Acapulco.
Sergio Flores, an Acapulco resident, said that they heard loud noises coming from the building and noises from the windows. “The power went out,” Sergio Flores stated. “We heard water leaking, water escaping from the pool, and people screaming. Very nervous people.”
Flores stated that all he could do to comfort his wife when the shaking started was hug him. Flores saw people running to parking decks to get their cars out of the bay, some fleeing from hotels.
He said, “We were all concerned about some change in sea, but authorities haven’t said anything about a tsunami warning.”
Astudillo stated that the tsunami alert center has not detected any changes in the sea level. Later, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that there was no threat of tsunamis.
Adela Roman, Acapulco’s mayor, stated in a statement to Milenio television news station that there is “no really serious situation” and that there are no reports of casualties.
She said that “there are nervous breakdowns” and that people are concerned because of aftershocks. She also stated that there are many gas leaks at various places, as well as landslides or fallen walls.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of the United States, tweeted that the authorities in the four most affected states had told him that there were no casualties or significant damage other than collapsed walls and falling stones.
He said, “Fortunately, there isn’t serious damage.”
Mexico’s National Civil Defense stated that it was reviewing 10 states and had not received any reports of serious damage or victims.
Mexico City was more than 320 km (nearly 200 mi) away. The ground shaken for almost a minute in parts of the capital. However, it was less noticeable in other areas. While some people evacuated their homes briefly, most returned to their homes on a rainy night.
Claudia Guarneros (a makeup artist) said that she was at home with her mom and dogs when the seismic alert began to sound. “My mother was in another bedroom and I began to call her. The house began to move and, in the final part of the earthquake, the power went out. We couldn’t see any more. However, we did see some items falling.
Mexico City authorities stated that there had been no reports of major damage to the city. However, some areas were without electricity. One high-rise downtown building had broken windows that covered the sidewalk with glass.
Arturo Hernandez stood in front of the apartment building, which he had just moved into three years ago. It was surrounded by a taller building that had been abandoned after the devastating magnitude-7.1 earthquake in Puebla, which struck on Sept. 19, 2017. This earthquake caused significant damage to the capital.
Hernandez heard the seismic alarm, and made it to the outside before the ground started shaking. He said that the shaking stopped after three minutes, but that the abandoned building next to him continued to crackle and moan. When asked if he was worried about the damage to the next-door building, he replied, “Always always, always.”
Tuesday’s earthquake happened four years after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off Mexico’s southern coast. It largely destroyed the town of Juchitan, Oaxaca and killed dozens.
