Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake Shakes Chiapas, Southern Mexico

A map of Mexico and its southern neighbors. (Google Maps/Screenshot)

Southern Mexico shook and buildings swayed, after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake sent shock waves more than 250 miles away on the morning of Feb. 1.

Warning: Explicit language.

Rutilio Escandón, the governor of Chiapas—the epicenter of the quake—confirmed in a Twitter post no deaths have been reported and those who suffered panic attacks are already receiving medical attention. Some building in the municipality of Suchiate are also damaged.

The National Seismological Center of Mexico tweeted the seismic alert at 11 a.m. and, according to El Comercio, the earthquake caused the evacuation of Mexico City’s buildings, which are 700 miles away, even though the shock waves did not activate its seismic alert system.

A map of Mexico and its southern neighbors. (Google Maps/Screenshot)

Southern Vibrations

Mexico’s southern neighbors also felt the earthquake. The Red Cross of Guatemala and Legislative Assembly of El Salvador reported damage caused on Twitter. Guatemala experienced a landslide but no injuries have been reported.

In El Salvador, the country’s Legislative Assembly’s building is damaged due to the earthquake. The building’s integrity will be investigated, following an executive order for employees to evacuate the building.

Devastating Coincidence

In 2017, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in central Mexico killed at least 250 people. Coincidentally, the latest earthquake took place on Sept. 19, which happens to be the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake disaster that killed 10,000 people.

Reuters reported the 2017 earthquake “toppled dozens of buildings, broke gas mains and sparked fires less than two weeks after another powerful quake killed at least 98 people in southern Mexico.” An earlier magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook Chiapas on Sept. 9, 2017.

While the 2017 earthquakes lasted less than one minute, the 1985 earthquake lasted for nearly three minutes, according to History. These few minutes destroyed hotels, colleges, factories, and houses unable to withstand the quakes. In a final assessment 3,000 buildings were confirmed to be demolished and 100,000 severely damaged.