Strong Quake Jolts Southern Mexico, Capital; 1 Killed

A strong earthquake jolted southern Mexico and the capital city Tuesday morning, sending panicked residents into the streets fearing a repeat of the 1985 quake that took 10,000 lives.

Paramedics said a man was electrocuted when a power line broke and fell on him in the central Mexico City neighborhood of Guerrero and that two women were severely injured when they jumped in panic from a window in the southern neighborhood of Tlalpan. The casualties were not identified.

The quake, which occurred at about 8:30 a.m., broke windows and damaged several buildings in Mexico City, but no buildings are known to have collapsed.

Mayor Manuel Camacho Solis reported interruptions in electric power and telephone service in some areas and minor gas and water leaks.

Public school classes were canceled for the day so school buildings could be inspected for damage.

Seismologists at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., said the quake registered magnitude 6.8. They said the epicenter was 40 miles east of Acapulco and about 200 miles south of Mexico City.

Authorities in Acapulco said there were no reports of injuries or serious damage there.

In a telephone interview, Victor Lopez, reception desk manager at the 250-room Acapulco Tortuga Hotel, reported no injuries or structural damage although “the ground moved side to side for about 40 seconds.”

“Everything is fine here, no problems,” Lopez said. “People got a little scared is all.”

Fainting and Nerves

Immediately after the quake, Red Cross ambulances made their way through Mexico City’s rush-hour traffic with blaring sirens. A Red Cross telephone operator, Sara Romero, said the organization took calls from more than 300 people complaining of fainting and “nervous crises.”

Hundreds of office workers stayed in the streets for several hours after the quake while their nerves settled and building inspectors checked for damage.

“The buildings shook like bells,” said Faustino Uribe, 16, a newspaper vendor on the Paseo de la Reforma, the main avenue downtown.

Jose Refugio Roche, 40, a bank clerk, said: “I was in the bathroom adjusting my tie when the mirror started to move. The building swayed and I ran down the stairs along with everyone else. Some of them lost their shoes, they were running so fast. I thought it was going to be just like last time.”

The “last time” was Sept. 19, 1985, when an early-morning quake of magnitude 8.1 crumbled hundreds of buildings in the capital, burying thousands of people and leaving tens of thousands of others homeless. Four years later, many people still suffer psychological aftershocks.

Abundia Tovar, 55, said she was about to leave home for work Tuesday when her building began to sway.

“I started praying right away that what happened in 1985 wouldn’t happen again,” she said.