6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Mexico, Causing Fatalities and Damage

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico on January 2, 2026, causing at least two fatalities and structural damage in Guerrero state and Mexico City. The quake's epicenter was near San Marcos in Guerrero, approximately 57 miles northeast of Acapulco, at a depth of 21.7 miles.

In Guerrero, a 50-year-old woman died when her home collapsed near the epicenter. In Mexico City, a man in his 60s fell to his death while evacuating his second-floor apartment. Additionally, 12 people sustained injuries in the capital.

The earthquake triggered landslides around Acapulco and other highways in Guerrero. A hospital in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, suffered major structural damage, leading to patient evacuations.

Residents and tourists in Mexico City and Acapulco evacuated buildings as seismic alarms sounded. President Claudia Sheinbaum's press briefing was interrupted but later resumed.

Mexico's national seismological agency reported over 500 aftershocks following the quake. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the earthquake at a depth of 21.7 miles, near Rancho Viejo in Guerrero.

Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active countries, situated between five tectonic plates.