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A Destructive 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Just Rocked Mexico City

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A Destructive 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Just Rocked Mexico City

On the anniversary of its catastrophic 1985 earthquake, Mexico City has been hit by another powerful seismic event. No reports of casualties have been reported, but videos posted to social media suggest that damage is widespread.

Image: USGS

The 7.1 magnitude tremor struck at 1:14PM local time (4:14AM AEST), its epicentre located about 122km outside of Mexico city in the state of Pueblo, according to the US Geological Survey. The earthquake shook buildings, cracked walls, and caused people to flee from shaking buildings.

This horrifying video shows an entire building collapsing:

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but unconfirmed video taken from high elevations show plumes of dust and debris rising up from ground level. It doesn’t look good.

The quake was reportedly felt up to 900km away. The force of the tremor was made visible in several nauseating videos on social media, including this one:

The quake comes less than two weeks after a massive 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the nation’s western coast, killing at least 90 people. It isn’t immediately clear if the two events are seismically related, but this part of Mexico is particularly prone to earthquakes. The region is home to the meeting of the Cocos and North American tectonics plates.

In 1985, 10,000 people were killed by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Mexico City. In a cruel twist, residents across the city held drills on the anniversary of the 1985 quake earlier today.

[US Geological Survey, The Register-Guard]

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