Powerful 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Mexico
Powerful 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Mexico
On January 2, 2026, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake jolted near San Marcos in Guerrero state, rattling southern and central Mexico at 07:58 local time. The quake, at a shallow 35-kilometer depth, triggered seismic alarms across regions, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press briefing of the year as crowds evacuated in panic.[1][3]
Devastating Impact and Casualties
Tragically, two fatalities were reported: a 56-year-old woman in Guerrero when her home collapsed, and a 67-year-old man in Mexico City's Benito Juárez borough during evacuation. Seventeen injuries occurred, with 700 homes damaged in Guerrero, including 70 collapses in San Marcos alone. Acapulco saw hotel and airport damage, landslides, and power outages, while Mexico City faced fallen poles, trees, and a substation fire.[1][2]
Widespread Shaking and Response
Strong tremors reached Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, and beyond, lightly felt in Jalisco and Michoacán. Hundreds fled swaying buildings; authorities inspected sites, urging calm amid aftershocks. This event underscores Mexico's seismic vulnerability, prompting swift civil defense assessments.[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].
