A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico on Saturday morning, spreading fear and panic in the country that is still reeling from two quakes earlier this month. Although no deaths were immediately reported, the latest quake forced rescue workers to stop some of the ongoing searches for survivors of Tuesday’s larger quake. It also caused some already damaged buildings, and even a bridge, to collapse. “Homes that were still standing just fell down,” a witness said. “It’s hard. We are all in the streets.”
The epicenter of Saturday’s relatively shallow quake was in Oaxaca state in a town that is about 275 miles southeast of Mexico City. No new damage was immediately reported in the Mexican capital although there was increased concern about the risk that it could pose to already damaged buildings, leading to the suspension of some rescue operations. That frustrated rescue workers that continued battling the clock to find any possible survivors. “We hear that there are possibly more people alive, but the clock is ticking and they are injured and dehydrated,” said a worker who had been helping to clear rubble. “It’s frustrating not being able to do anything.”
Scientists said the Saturday quake was likely an aftershock of the 8.1-magnitude quake that struck southern Mexico and killed almost 100 people, largely in Oaxaca state, on Sept. 7. “We’re calling it an aftershock of the 8.1,” U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist John Bellini said. “An 8.1 is expected to have several aftershocks in the 6 range. … The 6 is not surprising.”
The death toll from Tuesday’s quake has no increased to at least 305 people, increasing to more than 400 when taking into account those killed by the Sept. 7 earthquake.
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