7.2-magnitude quake rattles Mexico
2 killed in helicopter crash after surveying damage
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — A prolonged 7.2-magnitude quake that rocked Mexico on Friday left nearly a million homes and businesses without power in the capital and south, but the only reported deaths came when a military helicopter crashed after surveying the aftermath.
At least 50 homes suffered damage in the southern state of Oaxaca, which, along with Mexico City, is still reeling from earthquakes that caused widespread damage last September.
The epicenter was about 145 kilometers from Pacific coast surfer resort Puerto Escondido in the southern state of Oaxaca and had a depth of 24.6 km, according to the United States Geological Survey.
At least two people on the ground died when a helicopter carrying Mexico’s Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat crashed while trying to land after a tour of damage from the earthquake, officials said. The senior officials survived.
A Televisa reporter who was on board said the helicopter suddenly dropped after generating a large cloud of dust on its landing field.
Television images showed the downed helicopter lying on its side surrounded by several cars.
“Unfortunately, several people on the ground lost their lives and others were injured. My condolences to your relatives and my desire to promptly recover the injured,” Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted.
The powerful, sustained shaking gave way to 225 aftershocks, the national seismology service said, and caused widespread panic.
In Mexico City, the seismic alarm sounded 72 seconds before tremors were felt, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said, giving residents time to flee to the streets.
Patricia Gutierrez, a 66-year-old English teacher, was taking a nap with her 11-month-old granddaughter Juliet when she heard the distinctive siren.
“She recognized the sound. When I opened my eyes, I saw her eyes in terror. Her eyes were wide, like plates. She didn’t say anything,” Gutierrez said of her granddaughter.
Gutierrez managed to leave her ground floor apartment before the quake began.
“I left the phone and everything except for my shoes and the baby,” she said.
Authorities said no deaths directly linked to the quake had been reported nationally.