7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Mexico, Tsunami is Feared to Follow

On June 23, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake had hit Mexico and caused multiple buildings to collapse, prompted evacuations, and left six people dead.

Deadly earthquake

The earthquake happened at 10:29 a.m with an epicenter of 6.8 miles southwest of Santa Maria Zapotitian in Oaxaca state, near El Coyul.

According to the coordinator for Mexico's National Civil Protection Service, at least six people were killed. The Oaxacan Health Services also reported damages to the general hospitals in the area such as the Pinotepa Nacional, Pochutla, and Puerto Escondido.

There were also damages to the community hospitals in the area. Oaxaca state Gov. Alejandro Murat said that two of the hospitals that had damages are housing coronavirus patients, and a man and a 22-year old woman were among the dead.

In a radio interview with Radio Formula, Gov. Murat said that they are verifying the damages because the hospitals are also treating coronavirus patients on the Oaxacan coast. He has not specified the severity of the damages.

The first death was due to the collapse of a structure after the earthquake, according to the National Civil Protection Service. The incident took place in Huatulco, which is a popular tourist destination. The authorities also reported a power outage throughout the capital of the state and the damages to the exterior of a hospital in Oaxaca.

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The earthquake was felt as far as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. In capital Mexico City, around 190 miles north of the epicenter, sirens were heard wailing, and tremors were felt.

Fear of tsunami

In Acapulco, tsunami waves of 0.68 meters or 2.2 ft were observed and 0.71 meters or 2.3 ft in were observed in Salina Cru. According to the US Tsunami Warning System, an earlier tsunami warning was revised down, forecasting possible waves of up to a meter or 3.3 ft.

The damage in Oaxaca is considered light to moderate, according to the US Geological Survey ShakeMap or USGS. There were models estimated by the USGS and it suggests that localized casualties and damage are possible but the casualties are likely to be fewer than 100 people and the damages are likely to cost less than $100 million.

But the model of USGS only includes earthquake shaking and it did not include any impacts from potential tsunamis on Mexico's coastline.

According to USGS, the recent earthquakes in the area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and tsunamis. The earlier estimates put the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.7 but that has been changed to 7.4.

Mexico is known as one of the world's most seismically active regions and has a long history of deadly earthquakes. Mexico is located on top of three massive tectonic plates and the movements of the plates cause regular quakes and occasional volcanic eruptions.

In 2017, two deadly earthquakes hit Mexico, and the earthquakes were just two weeks apart, according to CNN. It had cracked highways, toppled buildings, and killed thousands of people. The first earthquake had a magnitude of 71. and the second earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1

Mexico City is prone to earthquakes because it is soft and its wet ground amplifies shaking. The wet ground is also prone to liquefaction, in which the dirt transforms into liquid when it is churned.