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Major 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocks several Mexican states

Coalcoman, Michoacán — UPDATED: At least one person has died after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the state of Michoacán. On Monday afternoon, residents in the city of Coalcoman were alerted to the major quake that shook the ground rocking vehicles, trees and breaking apart concrete buildings.

The 7.7 earthquake was recorded in Mexico today at 1:05 p.m. Central Time according to the National Seismological Service. The epicenter was recorded 63 kilometers south of Coalcoman, Michoacán near the Pacific coastline. It was felt by more than 1.2 million people in Mexico City, State of Mexico, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco.

Initially, the National Civil Protection Coordination reported the quake as a 6.8, but has since updated it to 7.7 according to the National Seismological Service. Authorities began tours to assess damage. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that at least one person died in Manzanillo, Colima due to falling debris from the earthquake.

During the first three hours after the quake, 212 aftershocks were recorded with the largest being a 5.3. Shortly after the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported waves as high as 3 meters were possible along Mexico’s coast from Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta.

On Monday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was at the Plancha del Zócalo in Mexico City in memory of the victims of the 1985 and 2017 earthquakes when he received news of the 7.7 earthquake in Michoacán.

UPDATE: As of 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, 632 aftershocks have been recorded and a second person killed. A second person, this time in the state of Colima, died after the collapse of a gym in Plaza Punto Bahía.

At 3:17 a.m. Tuesday local time, another earthquake was registered. The National Seismological Service (SSN) reported the second separate quake, which was a 5.9, happened 72 kilometers south of Tecomán, Colima. This second earthquake was responsible for the country’s second earthquake victim.