(Credit: Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images)
(CNN Spanish) --
September 19 is a fateful date for Mexicans: in two different years —1985 and 2017— strong earthquakes were recorded that claimed thousands of lives.
This 2022, the date was again marked by an earthquake of magnitude 7.6.
Every September 19, Mexico commemorates the National Civil Protection Day, which includes a mega-earthquake drill to improve society's preparation for an event of these characteristics.
The date is not accidental: it coincides with the anniversary of an earthquake that, in 1985, left approximately 10,000 dead.
In 1985, the magnitude 8.1 earthquake affected the center, south and west of the country, according to a report by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which recalls that "the tremor caused severe damage to hundreds of buildings in the capital and changed complete the image of Mexico City".
The economic losses were estimated at more than US$ 4,000 million.
It was this earthquake that led to the creation of the National Civil Protection System.
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The earthquake of September 19, 2017
In 2017, shortly after the usual drill was carried out, Morelos, Puebla, Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca felt a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
It happened after another earthquake of great intensity was registered, on September 7, with a magnitude of 8.1.
The total number of deaths from the new earthquake was counted in the hundreds (the official figure is 369), while some 250,000 people were affected, more than 180,000 homes were damaged by the two earthquakes and of these, 50,610 had total damage.
The strong earthquake of 2022 in Mexico
This September 19, 2022, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 shook the country, according to reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The seismic focus was located at a depth of 10 kilometers and the epicenter was located 42 kilometers north-northwest of La Placita de Morelos, Michoacán.
The earthquake was also felt strongly in Mexico City.
The similarity between the earthquakes of 2017 and 2019, for residents of Mexico, was surprising: they not only coincided on the date but also on the time, since in both cases they were around noon.
About the 2022 earthquake, damage reports are still expected.