Powerful 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Guerrero, Mexico - Impacts and Aftershocks
Powerful 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Guerrero, Mexico
On January 2, 2026, at 07:58 local time, a preliminary magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked southern and central Mexico, centered near San Marcos in Guerrero state at a depth of 35 kilometers. Seismic alarms blared across regions, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press briefing of the year, forcing evacuations in Mexico City and beyond. Tremors rippled through Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, and as far as Acapulco, where buildings swayed and residents fled into streets.[1][2]
Devastating Impacts and Casualties
The quake claimed two lives: a 56-year-old woman in a collapsed Guerrero home and a 67-year-old man in Mexico City's Benito Juárez during evacuation. Seventeen injuries were reported, with 700 homes affected in Guerrero—70 fully collapsed, including 50 in San Marcos alone. Acapulco's hotels and airport sustained damage, while landslides, power outages, and a substation fire hit the capital. Hundreds evacuated amid inspections of unstable structures.[1][2]
Seismic Context and Ongoing Alerts
Following a cluster of strong quakes on December 31 and January 1, this event underscores Mexico's high seismic risk near the Pacific coast. Civil defense teams assessed widespread damage, reminding residents of nature's unpredictability in this volatile zone. Authorities urge preparedness as aftershocks loom.[1][3]
About the People Mentioned
Claudia Sheinbaum
**Claudia Sheinbaum** is a Mexican politician, environmental engineer, and climate scientist who has served as the 66th President of Mexico since October 2024[2]. She is the first woman and first Jewish person to hold the office[2][3]. Born on June 24, 1962, in Mexico City, Sheinbaum comes from a family of scientists[1]. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Bulgaria[1]. She earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1989, followed by a master's degree in 1994 and a Ph.D. in energy engineering in 1995, also from UNAM[4]. During her doctoral research in the 1990s, she spent four years at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on energy engineering[1]. Sheinbaum's political career began in 2000 when she was appointed environment secretary of Mexico City under then-mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador[1]. She served as delegational chief (mayor) of Tlalpan, the largest borough in Mexico City, from 2015 to 2017[1]. In 2018, she became Head of Government of Mexico City, becoming the first elected female head of government and the first Jewish person to hold the position[2]. During her tenure as Mexico City's mayor until 2023, she focused on security, public transport, and social programs while managing major crises including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Mexico City Metro overpass collapse[2]. Sheinbaum's scientific contributions include membership in the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007[4]. She authored over 100 articles and two books on energy, the environment, and sustainable development[4]. In the 2024 presidential election, Sheinbaum won a landslide victory as the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) candidate[2]. As president, she enacted constitutional reforms including enshrining social programs into the Constitution and reversing aspects of the 2013 energy reform to strengthen state control over the energy sector[2]. In 2025, Forbes ranked her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world[2].
