Mexican president’s speech interrupted by emergency sirens as 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes country

The Mexican president was speaking about tourism when the earthquake struck

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico Friday during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s press conference.

The seismic event occurred at 7:58 a.m. local time at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), according to the German Research Center for Geosciences, which can increase the potential for noticeable surface shaking.

The president was holding her first 2026 tourism press conference at the National Palace when the earthquake struck, and sirens were audible over the live broadcast.

A livestreamof her remarks captured the rumblings as Sheinbaum calmly motioned for everyone in the room to evacuate.

The press conference resumed minutes later.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum calmly motioned for press conference attendees to evacuate the room as an earthquake struck Friday morning (YouTube/@ClaudiaSheinbaumP)

Sheinbaum said she spoke with Guerrero’s governor and confirmed that no serious damage occurred there or in Mexico City.

Residents of Guerrero and surrounding areas reported feeling the tremor, as seen in videos shared on X.

The earthquake’s epicenter was 9 miles from San Marcos, in southern Guerrero, about 143 miles from Mexico City, prompting the hospital and residents to evacuate.

Sheinbaum's press conference resumed minutes after she and reporters evacuated due to the earthquake (YouTube/@ClaudiaSheinbaumP)

Ceiling panels fell from Parking Lot A at Hospital la Raza in Mexico City, according to a local news outlet.

Mexico City, built on soft lakebed soil, is especially vulnerable to earthquakes from Guerrero, including the 8.1-magnitude quake on September 19, 1985, that killed over 10,000, injured 30,000, and left up to 250,000 homeless, according to History.com.