6.5-magnitude quake shakes Mexico City

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City and Guerrero state, prompting President Claudia Sheinbaum to evacuate the presidential palace.

Published on: Jan 2, 2026, 21:37:53 IST

AFPPosted by Yamini C S

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A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City and parts of southwestern Guerrero state on Friday, the national seismological service confirmed.

Workers of a construction site use their mobile phones on the street after they evacuated the site during a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City. (AFP)

President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to evacuate the presidential palace during her regular morning press conference, along with the journalists in attendance, when the earthquake alert sounded.

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They returned minutes later.

Sheinbaum said the earthquake's epicenter was situated 15 kilometers (nine miles) from San Marcos, in the southern state of Guerrero. That is about 230 kilometers from Mexico City.

Sheinbaum said that preliminary reports indicated no serious damage in either Mexico City or Guerrero.

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The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 1358 GMT, or 7:58 am local time.

The center of Mexico City is built on the muddy subsoil of what was once the bed of a lake, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.

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Those most strongly felt usually originate off Guerrero state on the Pacific coast.

On September 19, 1985, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake devastated a vast swathe of Mexico City, leaving nearly 13,000 dead, according to official figures.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.