More Than 15 Dead After 8.2-Magnitute Earthquake Hits Mexico’s Southern Coast
by Daniel McCarthy /
At least 15 people have died, and many more are injured, after the strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in the last 100 years struck off the coast of Chiapas at around midnight on Friday.
According to reports, tremors from the 8.2-magnitude were felt more than 600 miles away from Chiapas in Mexico City. Photos and videos from around the country posted on social media showed buildings shaking as tremors ripped through the country.
Así se vivió el sismo de esta noche en el Ángel de la Independencia pic.twitter.com/94e6wgjy5W
— BuzzFeed News México (@BuzzFeedNewsMex) September 8, 2017
Video via BuzzFeed News Mexico.
The quake shattered windows at Mexico City International Airport, the country’s largest airport, though flights are still running on schedule as of this morning according to FlightAware. Flights are also operating as normal at Cancun International Airport, the country’s second largest hub. Guadalajara International Airport, Mexico’s third largest airport, was experiencing some delays this morning.
Waves as high 3 feet were reported on the country’s pacific coast, though the tsunami risk is “not very being, it’s not a major worry,” President Enrique Pena Nieto said this morning. There is still a tsunami warning in effect for Cook Islands, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guatemala and Kiribati.
Nieto also said that at least 1 million people in the country were initially left without power, though power had been restored to around 80% of them. Schools were closed in Mexico, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Guerrero, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Puebla and Tlaxcala.
Tourism is one of the major industries in Chiapas—the state has close to 500 hotels offering more than 12,000 hotel rooms. Its Maya Route, Colonia Route and Coffee Route attract thousands of visitors each year.
Travel agents with clients that have vacations booked through tour operators should contact the operator directly for guidance moving forward. They should also check with booked airlines before travelers head to airports.
One of the building’s suffering severe damage was the Anel Hotel collapse in Oaxaca, which fully collapsed. Mexican officials said that all of the people inside were able to escape and have reported no casualties.