Acapulco Shaken by Tremors

(Acapulco, 27 April) It was literally a rude awakening for Acapulqueños yesterday morning at 6:07 when a strong tremor shook the landscape. It measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, the strongest in at least four years. The tremor lasted between 5 and 7 seconds. “The scary part was the rumbling that preceded it,” said Blanca Aiza, a local resident. “It was the noise that woke me. It felt like the coming of doom.” As the quake subsided, the rumbling also seemed to move farther and farther away.

Local residents are accustomed to tremors, but this one was stronger and longer than usual. And, lest people relaxed entirely, an aftershock came 11 minutes later, at 4.6 on the Richter scale, and lasted just a few more seconds.

Acapulco usually feels a dozen or more mild tremors per year, and the hotels all post instructions on what to do in the case of a quake or “sismo” in Spanish. This one, however, was notable, even for locals inured to the shakes. Hotel evacuations were not necessary, but tourists, unaccustomed to such phenomena, crowded into the streets in the early morning.

No injuries were reported. Property damage was light, limited to a few breakable items that fell from shelves or tables.
The U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado, which monitors such quakes and tremors, reported that the tremor had an epicenter around 29 kilometers southeast of Acapulco, at a depth of almost 13 miles.

In distant Mexico City, some residents felt the effects of the quake, where buildings swayed a little, and the windows shook.