Mexico earthquake latest: Colima volcano threat debunked as country reels from aftershocks of Michoacán quake
Monday’s powerful quake occurred on the anniversary of two previous disasters that killed thousands of people in 1985 and 2017
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An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck the Michoacán region in Mexico on Tuesday, a day after two people were killed in another powerful quake.
Monday’s earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 7.6, struck on the anniversary of two previous earthquakes that caused enormous damage and killed hundreds or thousands of people in 1985 and 2017.
One of the victims died after being crushed by the facade of a department store in the Pacific port of Manzanillo, while another was found dead at a mall.
The tremor passed without that level of tragedy, despite heightened nerves from a nationwide annual earthquake drill that occurred less than an hour before.
The tsunami alert, which was issued immediately after the quake, was revised later in the day.
Authorities said the tsunami threat has “largely passed”, with minor sea fluctuations of up to 0.3 metres above and below the normal tide to continue for the next few hours.
Drill commemorating previous quakes confuses Mexico City residents when real quake hits
Some Mexico City residents were confused when the seismic alert sounded almost two minutes before the quake struck because the alarm had been heard earlier on Monday during a practice exercise in commemoration of the previous quakes that had taken place on the same date in previous years, Reuters noted.
Part of the Roma neighbourhood in Mexico City lost power as a result of the quake – 250 miles (400km) from the epicentre.
As many as 1.2 million users were struck by the outage, according to the national power utility.
PHOTOS: Soldiers and members of civil defence clear debris from earthquake
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