Death toll in Mexico quake reaches 61
Violent temblor followed by Katia’s arrival off Gulf
MEXICO CITY — One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico struck off the country’s southern coast, toppling hundreds of buildings and sending panicked people fleeing into the streets in the middle of the night. At least 61 people were reported dead.
The quake that hit minutes before midnight Thursday was strong enough to cause buildings to sway violently in the capital city more than 650 miles away. As beds banged against walls, people still wearing pajamas ran out of their homes and gathered in frightened groups.
Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, the state nearest the epicenter, said his house “moved like chewing gum.”
The furious shaking was followed by a second national emergency for Mexican agencies as Hurricane Katia made landfall north of Tecolutia in Veracruz state late Friday amid intense rains.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Katia’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 75 mph, making it a Category 1 storm, but it was still expected to bring life-threatening floods and a dangerous storm surge off the Gulf of Mexico.
President Enrique Peña Nieto said Friday evening in a televised address that 61 people were killed by the quake — 45 in Oaxaca state, 12 in Chiapas and 4 in Tabasco — and he declared three days of national mourning.
The worst-hit city was Juchitan, on the narrow waist of Oaxaca known as the Isthmus, where 36 quake victims died.
About half of Juchitan’s city hall collapsed in a pile of rubble and streets were littered with the debris of ruined houses. A hospital also collapsed, Peña Nieto said after touring the city and meeting with residents. The patients were relocated to other facilities.
The president said authorities were working to re-establish the supply of water and food and provide medical attention to those who need it. He vowed the government would help people rebuild and called for people to come together.
“The power of this earthquake was devastating, but we are certain that the power of unity, the power of solidarity and the power of shared responsibility will be greater,” Peña Nieto said.