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Powerful earthquake shakes southern Mexico, at least 5 dead

A policeman removes rubble from a building damaged by an earthquake in Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 23, 2020. The earthquake was centered near the resort of Huatulco, in the southern state of Oaxaca. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A powerful earthquake centered near the southern Mexico resort of Huatulco killed at least five people, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent thousands fleeing into the streets.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said one person was killed and another injured in a building collapse in Huatulco, Oaxaca. Otherwise he said reports were of minor damage from the magnitude 7.4 quake, including broken windows and collapsed walls. Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat said a second person was killed in an apparent house collapse in the tiny mountain village of San Juan Ozolotepec, and said a third died in circumstances he did not explain.

Federal civil defense authorities reported two more deaths: a worker at the state-run oil company, Pemex, fell to his death from a refinery structure, and a man died in the Oaxaca village of San Agustin Amatengo when a wall fell on him.

Pemex also said the quake caused a fire at its refinery in
the Pacific coast city of Salina Cruz, relatively near the epicenter. It
said one worker was injured and the flames were quickly extinguished.
Churches, bridges and highways also suffered damage during the quake.

López Obrador said there had been more than 140 aftershocks, most of them small.

Seismic alarms sounded midmorning with enough warning for residents to exit buildings. Power was knocked out to some areas.

Helicopters flew over downtown Mexico City and police patrols sounded their sirens.

Groups
of people still milled around in close proximity on streets and
sidewalks in some neighborhoods of the capital about an hour after the
quake. Many were not wearing masks despite past appeals from municipal
officials for them to do so as a way to curb the spread of the new
coronavirus.

Inside a Mexico City military barracks converted to
COVID-19 hospital, medical staff suited in protective equipment tried to
calm anxious patients. Unable to evacuate isolation areas, patients
huddled under a large beam in the women’s ward while a nurse tried to
calm one having a panic attack.

Teresa Juárez could only wish for
it to pass quickly from her hospital bed where she lay connected to
oxygen. Diabetic and with high blood pressure, Juárez said she thought
about her five children. “It’s horrible, you’re here and you don’t know
what to do,” she said.

The U.S. Geologic Survey said the quake hit
at 10:29 a.m. (11:29 a.m. Eastern) along Mexico’s southern Pacific
coast at a depth of 16 miles (26 km). The epicenter was 7 miles (12 km)
south-southwest of Santa Maria Zapotitlan in Oaxaca state

It was felt in Guatemala and throughout south and central Mexico.

In
Huatulco, a laid-back beach destination known for surfing and small
protected coves, the earthquake knocked goods off shelves and some
rubble from buildings.

Mari González of the Princess Mayev hotel
in Huatulco said staff and guests were able to evacuate the building
before the quake, but that 45 minutes after the initial quake they were
still outside as strong aftershocks continued.

“It was strong, very strong,” she said.

González
said there was some visible broken glass and mirrors, but no major
damage. The staff was waiting for the aftershocks to dissipate before
fully evaluating the property.

Local news media reported damage to
some buildings in the state capital, Oaxaca city. State officials said
they were looking for damage.

The USGS estimated that some 2
million people felt strong or moderate shaking and another 49 million
felt weak or light shaking.

The earthquake hit a quake-prone
region where four underground tectonic plates come together. In the past
35 years, there have been at least seven magnitude 7 or greater
earthquakes, killing around 10,000 people — most of them in a 1985 8.0
quake.

“This has the potential to be a deadly earthquake and cause
significant damage,” U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Paul Earle
said. “This area is capable of and has had larger earthquakes in the
past.”

“There will be aftershocks,” Earle said. “It is not unexpected to see a magnitude 6 at this point and a number of smaller ones.”

This
quake happened when the Cocos plate, which is to the southwest of the
area, slipped under the North American plate, Earle said.

“You’ve
got all sorts of plates and they’re moving quickly,” Earle said. “The
important thing is how fast the plates are moving relative to each
other.”

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast a tsunami threat with waves three to 10 feet above tide levels along parts of the coasts of Mexico. Smaller waves were expected through Central America, Peru and Ecuador.

Associated Press writers Chris Torchia in Mexico City and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.