5.7-magnitude earthquake hits southern Mexico: no reports of damage, no injuries

An earthquake struck southeast Mexico on Thursday, sending people fleeing into the streets.

The U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 and said that the epicenter was about 7 miles west-northwest of the town of Nopalapan in Veracruz, at a depth of 69 miles.

The quake triggered seismic alarms 235 miles away in Mexico City, but it was not felt in the capital. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Located on top of three large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active regions, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions.

After the evacuation of public buildings and schools, elements of Civil Protection and Public Security of the state started the inspection of the buildings.

"After preliminary monitoring due to the tremor that marked the National Seismological as the epicenter in Isla, Veracruz, we report that so far there is no relevant news. There are no damages, and it is still being monitored," said the governor of Veracruz, Cuitláhuac García.

The governor of Veracruz added that there is no damage to either the hydroelectric plants or the nuclear power plant in the region.

Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. One of the most recent earthquakes was that of September 7, which was of magnitude 7.1 according to the SSN and with an epicenter very close to the resort of Acapulco, in Guerrero, where it caused material damage.

While in mid-2020, in the outburst of the coronavirus pandemic, an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 left a dozen dead and a score injured in the southern state of Oaxaca.

In 2017, 471 people died in Mexico from three earthquakes, on September 7, 19 and 23, in the largest natural tragedy in Mexico since the 1985 earthquake, which left thousands dead in the country's capital. In September 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City.