An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale struck a large area of western Mexico Wednesday, including most of Jalisco state.
Centered in La Mira, Michoacan, 130 kilometers from Uruapan and 20 kilometers from the Pacific Coast city of Lazaro Cardenas, the 5.55 p.m. quake shook buildings in Guadalajara but caused minimal damage, first reports indicate.
As well as Jalisco and Michoacan, the quake was also felt in Colima, Guanajuato and Mexico City.
Several hospitals, shopping malls, hotels and public buildings in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Guzman were evacuated but for the most part the population remained calm.
Staff quickly evacuated Guadalajara’s tallest building, the 19-storey Hotel Riu on Avenida Lopez Mateos.
Some fans attending a Copa Libertadores soccer game between Chivas and Velez from Argentina fled the half-full Omnilife Stadium but the teams and the referee were unaware of the quake and continued to play. on.
The Jalisco Fire Department reported minor fissures in walls at the “Hospitalito” of Zapopan, the IMSS Clinic 39 and the Hospital de la Mujer (Women’s Hospital) in Guadalajara, as well as in several private homes in the metropolitan areas and other parts of the state. No injuries were reported.
An earthquake measuring 7.4 hit Mexico on March 20 and provoked damages in Guerrero and Oaxaca.