Two deaths reported after Tuesday’s earthquake in Mexico

ACAPULCO, Mexico (BNO NEWS) — Two deaths were reported on Friday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Mexico on Tuesday, damaging tens of thousands of houses.

The first victim, identified as Ernesto Bernal Ruiz, died after being crushed by a falling wall in the small community of El Tamale in Guerrero state. In a separate incident, 90-year-old Juan Chute Bruno from San Nicolas, also in Guerrero, died of a heart attack caused by the earthquake.

In addition to the fatalities and 11 people who were previously reported injured, at least 15,000 people have lost their homes in the state of Oaxaca, where damages caused by the earthquake are estimated to succeed 90 million pesos ($7 million). In Guerrero, Governor Ángel Aguirre Rivero requested assistance to provide 10,000 residential homes for those affected, as well as 20,100 reconstruction packages for damaged homes.

According to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) preliminary earthquake report, the epicenter of the quake, which had a depth of 17 kilometers (10.5 miles), was in the state of Guerrero, around 186 kilometers (115 miles) east of the popular port city of Acapulco and about 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Ometepec, both in the same state.

The strong earthquake was felt up to Mexico’s central region, causing numerous buildings in Mexico City to be evacuated.

On Thursday, a 5.4-magnitude aftershock shook Mexico City residents again, causing the evacuation of several office and residential buildings in the city’s business district on Reforma Avenue and Insurgentes Avenue.

On September 20, 1985, one of the most devastating earthquakes struck the coastal area of Michoacan, although most of the damage was seen in Mexico City. Initial government reports indicated that some 6,000 to 7,000 people died, although further investigations revealed that approximately 10,000 people died.

Fri 23 March 2012

http://earththreats.com/2012/03/two-deaths-reported-after-tuesdays-earthquake-in-mexico/

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Japanese boat washed away in tsunami spotted more than a year later

(CNN) -- A fishing trawler swept away more than a year ago by a tsunami off the east coast of Japan has been spotted floating near British Columbia, Canadian officials said Friday.

"It looks fairly sound and has rust streak from being out there for a year," said Marc Proulx, the maritime coordinator of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria, British Columbia.
The trawler is part of a giant debris field that was generated by the giant wall of water that struck the east coast of the island nation following a 9.0 earthquake, sweeping everything from cars to houses into the ocean.

The fishing vessel is about 120 miles off the Queen Charlotte Islands, commonly referred to as the Haida Gwaii. The islands are an archipelago on the north coast of the British Columbia.
It was first spotted by a Canadian military air patrol, and it has since been determined that it has been adrift without anybody at the helm since March 11, 2011, Proulx said.

The Japan Coast Guard identified the owner of the vessel after being contacted Friday by Canadian officials, who were able to provide the identification number on the hull of the ship. The vessel, which was used for squid fishing, was moored at Hachinohe in the Aomori prefecture when the tsunami hit, said Toshiro Yoshinaga, a Coast Guard official.

The trawler is considered a navigation obstruction for vessels in the area, according to Canada's Department of National Defense.

Canadian agencies are monitoring the ship for possible marine pollution, though there are no reports of leaks from the vessel, the defense department said.

Sat 24 March 2012

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/23/world/americas/canada-trawler-adrift/index.html

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