Magnitude 6.9 earthquake interrupts press conference of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum – Firstpost

Emergency sirens for a
magnitude 6.9 earthquake interrupted the press conference of Mexican President
Claudia Sheinbaum in Acapulco on Friday. The tremors rocked Mexico at around 7:58 (local time) at a shallow depth of 6.21 miles, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences.

At that time, the Mexican president was holding her first 2026 tourism press conference at the National Palace when the earthquake struck, and sirens were audible over the live broadcast. A livestream of her presser captured the rumblings as Sheinbaum calmly motioned for everyone in the room to evacuate.

A strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico on Friday, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the new year as seismic alarms sounded. pic.twitter.com/xVm562r50k

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 2, 2026

The press briefing was resumed minutes later. While speaking to the media, Sheinbaum stated that she had spoken with the governor of Guerrero and confirmed that no serious damage had occurred in either Guerrero or
Mexico City. Meanwhile, residents of Guerrero and surrounding areas reported feeling the tremor, as seen in videos shared on X.

Some started the New Year with ’terror’

During the earthquake, ceiling panels fell from Parking Lot A at Hospital la Raza in Mexico City, according to a local news outlet. Mexico City resident Karen Gomez told AFP that the early-morning quake awakened her.

“I woke up in terror. My cellphone alert said it was a powerful earthquake.” Another woman, 57-year-old Norma Ortega, who lives on the 10th floor of an apartment block, told the news outlet that she  ‘got a terrible fright.”

According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences, the epicentre of the earthquake was 9 miles from San Marcos, in southern Guerrero, about 143 miles from Mexico City. The strong tremors in the region prompted the hospital and residents to evacuate.