Western/Central Mexico Earthquake
An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit western and central Mexico late Tuesday (Jan. 21). The epicenter was located on the Pacific coast, near the seaside resort of Manzanillo, in the state of Colima.
At least 23 people died, the Associated Press (AP) reported today. Nineteen of the dead were in Colima and two in the state of Jalisco, according to initial reports.
The quake caused dozens of homes in Guadalajara, north of the epicenter, to partially collapse, and at least 20 people there were injured by falling bricks and beams, the AP reported. Structures in Mexico City also swayed, but there no was widespread damage in the Mexican capital.
"The quake caused panic, power outages and interruptions in communications services," reports Samuel Lobato of the Church World Service (CWS) office in Mexico City. The quake forced the mobilization of civil protection and emergency services in the states of Colima, Jalisco, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Guerrero, Oaxaca Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.
Assessment
Lobato is making contact with local organizations in the states of Colima and Jalisco to assess local response capabilities and identify if there will be a need for international assistance. More should be known about needs by Friday, Jan. 24, Lobato reports.
For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding, contact CWS Emergency Response. Telephone: (212) 870-3151
Contact
Call the CWS HOTLINE for updates: (800)
297-1516.
cherlinger@churchworldservice.org
www.cwserp.org