Mexico, earthquakes and September 19: an incredible coincidence

The days of September 19, 1985, 2017 and 2022 have something in common, in addition to being September 19: they are days in which strong earthquakes They have shaken Mexico a country with an extensive telluric history. At different moments in history, with different magnitudes and diverse effects, but always having in common the shaking of the earth that usually brings panic, uncertainty and in many cases, also death.

On September 19, 1985, the coasts of Michoacán were the epicenter of an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 that particularly affected Mexico City and left shocking scenes in the collective memory of the city, such as the collapse of the Hospital Juárez del Centro , where more than a thousand people lost their lives, and another two thousand were trapped. A total of 5,000 people died in that earthquake, according to official figures., although other estimates multiply that amount by two. Nearly 800 buildings collapsed and nearly 50,000 people were injured. A tragedy where you look at it.

Thirty-two years later, the epicenter was in Puebla and the magnitude was 7.1. Apart from the coincidence in the date, the experts point out that there is no connection between the two movements, which occurred in different geographical areas and with different origins. The one in Puebla, for example, was an intraplate earthquake. Both earthquakes do have in common that Mexico City was the most affected city. Total, Mexican authorities reported 370 deaths. Incredibly, just 12 days before, an earthquake had already occurred in Mexico City, with a magnitude of 8.2 and which left 102 dead.

One might think that two earthquakes on September 19 are already too much of a coincidence, but in 2022 the seismographs shook again on the same day. This time at 1:05 p.m. local time, Mexicans from different regions felt a movement whose epicenter was located 59 kilometers south of Coalcoman, in Michoacán (Pacific coast). Mexico City was once again the protagonist, seeing scenes of panic in various sectors of the capital, after the seismic alert reported one minute in advance of the earthquake.

Officials said the quake was magnitude 7.4. Curiously, the quake struck less than an hour after millions of people participated in a national earthquake drill. In the streets it was impossible not to comment on the coincidence: in 2017 the earthquake also occurred after a drill. And without forgetting that in 1985 the saga of strong movements began on September 19, a coincidence worthy of appearing in the red notebook by Paul Auster.