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Horrific videos capture terror of Mexico's latest earthquake

The 7.1-magnitude quake struck on the same day as the country's deadly 1985 earthquake.

Sasha Lekach

on September 19, 2017

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

UPDATED 6:30 p.m. PT with an increased death toll.

In a scary coincidence, Mexico City and nearby areas were shaken by a powerful earthquake Tuesday--on the anniversary of a deadly quake that killed thousands in the city 32 years ago.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured Tuesday's earthquake at magnitude 7.1 with its center just southeast of Mexico City. The AP reports that more than 100 people have died as a result of the quake.

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Frightening videos came in on Twitter showing the moment the quake struck the huge capital city.

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The city of around 8.9 million people has a public earthquake early warning system that's designed to go off about a minute ahead of a temblor.

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Outside the city center, the earthquake was also very apparent.

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The immediate aftermath was well-documented with eerie footage of the smoky city and damaged buildings posted on Twitter.

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This is an area known for its seismic activity. A major 8.0-magnitude quake struck Chiapas on the southern coast and reached Mexico City earlier this month. The massive quake of 1985 killed 10,000 people on this day and was centered 250 miles west of the capital. Coincidentally, Sept. 19 has become a day devoted to earthquake preparedness with citywide drills.

As these videos show, the drills were necessary preparation, but were put to use a bit sooner than anticipated.

Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.