People are starting to believe 19th September is a cursed date in Mexico due to recent disasters

Mexico has been hit by another powerful earthquake, fuelling speculation as to whether the day of 19 September is cursed.

Yesterday, 19 September, at around 1.05pm, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.6 hit Michoacán state in Western Mexico.

It follows in the anniversary of two other earthquakes which took place on the very same day, but in 1985 and 2017.

People have since begun to speak out about their suspicions that the 19 September must be cursed.

The earthquake which took place yesterday - less than an hour after a practice earthquake alarm - was recorded at a magnitude of 7.6 by the US Geological Survey, but 7.7 by the National Seismology Service in Mexico.

It follows after two even larger earthquakes, the first in 1985, with a magnitude measured at 8.0/ 8.1.

The second, an earthquake in 2017, came in at an estimated magnitude of 7.1.

The death toll of the earthquake in 1985 was officially estimated at 10,000 people and the 2017 disaster, around 360.

Thankfully, the latest earthquake posed less of a risk as the epicentre in a sparsely populated area 250 miles southwest of Mexico City at a depth of 9.4 miles below ground.

However, two people still sadly fell victim to the tremors, one having been killed when a mall's wall collapsed in Manzanillo, Colima, according to a tweet by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

María Refugio Valdés, from Mexico City, told the Los Angeles Times how she 'can't believe that this has happened again on 19 September'.

She continued: "This time, at first I was scared, and then I began to cry. In 1985, I lost various family members.

"Thank God we lost none in 2017, and none this time. But it doesn’t seem possible! The same date."

People have also flocked to social media to share their concern about the 19 September and experiences of the latest earthquake to have hit Mexico.

One Twitter user said: "Still feeling the adrenaline after a communal run down the stairs and out into the street.

"It's hard to explain how shocking and unnerving it is for Mexico to have another big quake on September 19. I hope people in places closer to the epicenter are all okay."

"WTF. After the deadly September 19 earthquakes in 1985 and 2017 in México, we just got another 7.5 quake. Unbelievable and terrifying," another wrote.

A third commented: "Less than an hour after a nationwide earthquake drill in Mexico City, the ground actually started shaking. Everyone here tells you, 'Beware of September 19'."

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677 

Topics: World News, News

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.