Human consequences
Several hundred buildings collapse, including hospitals.
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EarthquakeMexico City earthquake
10,000Deaths
250,000Displaced / homeless
$4bnEstimated cost
- Estimates of 5,000 to more than 40,000 deaths depending on the source.
- Estimates of 3 to 5 billion dollars at the time.
The epicentre lies 350 km away on the Pacific coast, but the old lake sediments on which the capital is built strongly amplify the seismic waves.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
Amplification by lake-bed soils becomes a textbook case in seismology.
Economic consequences
Huge losses in the middle of the Mexican debt crisis.
Political consequences
Citizen mobilisation makes up for state inaction and lastingly weakens the ruling party (PRI).
Further reading
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