News Beat
Mexican president’s speech interrupted by emergency sirens as 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes country
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico Friday during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s press conference.
The seismic event struck at 7:58 a.m. local time at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), according to the German Research Center for Geosciences, which can increase the potential for noticeable shaking at the surface.
The president was giving her first 2026 press conference on tourism from the National Palace when the earthquake struck, and sirens could be heard over the live broadcast.
A livestreamof her remarks captured the rumblings as Sheinbaum calmly motioned for everyone in the room to evacuate.
The press conference resumed minutes later.
Sheinbaum said she spoke with Guerrero’s governor and confirmed that no serious damage occurred there or in Mexico City.
Residents of Guerrero and the surrounding areas reported feeling the tremor, as seen on videos shared to X.
The earthquake’s epicenter was 15 km (9 miles) from San Marcos, in southern Guerrero, about 230 km (about 143 miles) from Mexico City, prompting the hospital and residents to evacuate.
Ceiling panels fell from Parking Lot A at Hospital la Raza in Mexico City, according to a local news outlet.
Mexico City, built on soft lakebed soil, is especially vulnerable to earthquakes from Guerrero, including the 8.1-magnitude quake on September 19, 1985, that killed over 10,000, injured 30,000 and left up to 250,000 homeless, according to History.com.
