On 2nd January, a powerful earthquake hit southern Mexico, damaging roads and hospitals and temporarily halting the first press conference of the new year during which President Claudia Sheinbaum was to deliver her speech.

The state of Guerrero, which is located in the southwest, reported the death of a 50-year-old woman who died when the home in which she lived collapsed because of the tremors, according to the governor of the state, Evelyn Salgado. It was also mentioned in the local media that a 67-year-old male died in Mexico City as he descended the stairs attempting to get out of his apartment building.

When the earthquake hit the capital, 180 miles distant from the epicenter, the city landmark Angel of Independence statue, a golden angel atop a 45-meter-high column in a roundabout on one of the busiest avenues in the capital, was swinging sideways.

The seismic alarm just before 8 a.m. local time dumped masses of people fleeing the streets, most of them wrapped in towels or pajamas and holding frightened pets.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.5 magnitude quake occurred on the Pacific Coast in Guerrero, with a depth of 35 km (22 miles).

By midday, the seismological service of Mexico recorded 420 aftershocks, of which one was a magnitude 4.7.

Officials said that there were landslides along highways, gas leaks, and even destroyed houses, government, and hospitals in and around the state of Guerrero.

Acapulco and other beach resort regions are located in the southwestern state, and they are among the biggest attractions to holiday tourists. The state has a largest city named Acapulco that is yet to recover after a Category 5 hurricane destroyed the state in 2023.

The press conference that was conducted daily by Sheinbaum was also dramatized by the earthquake.

Sheinbaum was holding a speech in the National Palace, Mexico City, when earthquake alarms went off. She observed the ground shaking her and, before her, calmly evacuated together with journalists. This was followed by the press conference resuming with her shortly afterwards.

Videos posted online in Mexico City showed cracks in the interior of homes, high-rise buildings shaking off, and a traffic light smashing through the road below it. The major damage was not promptly reported by the authorities.

The aviation authority of Mexico reported that the international airports of Mexico City and Acapulco had been slightly damaged, but did not indicate that it had any effects.