Tsunami warning issued after 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocks central Mexico

Two other major quakes, one in 1985 and one in 1997, occurred in Mexico on 19 September

A strong earthquake has hit central Mexico. The extent of the damage caused by the quake is still being determined. The earthquake is reported to be a 7.6 magnitude quake according to the US Geological Survey. The USGS initially reported the quake was a 7.5.

At least one person has been confirmed dead, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. That individual was killed in the coastal city of Manzanilo, approximately 130km south of the epicentre.

According to the president, the individual died when a shopping centre collapsed in the port city.

According to the USGS, the earthquake’s centre was in the Pacific Ocean near La Placita de Morelos, about 300 miles northwest of Acapulco.

The US Tsunami Warning System has issued an alert warning that a tsunami is possible along the coast of Michoacan, Mexico.

A Twitter user in Puerto Vallarta captured the effects of the earthquake on video. In the clip, the room rumbles and a ceiling fan swings wildly as the earthquake rocks the area. Puerto Vallarta is approximately 400km north of the earthquake’s epicentre.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, possible tsunami waves could occur within 300km of the earthquake’s epicentre. It noted that waves between 1 and 3 meters above the tide level are possible along the Mexican coast. On Monday afternoon the agency said it had observed tsunami waves.

Waves of up to 0.3 meters above the tide level are possible for a number of nations, including Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Australia, Japan, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii following the earthquake.

The effects of the earthquake were felt hundreds of miles away. Video from Mexico City showed street signs swaying during the quake and locals crowded in the streets as a warning siren blared in the background.

In Manzanillo, videos showed that the wall of a gym collapsed, leaving it and the roof in a pile of rubble. The sky could be seen through a gaping hole in the building’s exterior.

The quake occurred on the same day Mexico holds its national earthquake drill, which also commemorates the massive quake in 1985 that left thousands dead in Mexico City.

Another earthquake hit Mexico on the same day in Puebla in 2017, leaving 370 dead.

Monday’s quake occurred only a half an hour after the annual drill concluded.

On Sunday, a 6.6 magniture earthquake hit Taiwan, killing one and injuring 146.