Mexico City shaken by 7.5 earthquake
Posted 30 Sep 1999.
The quake was the most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico since 1985 when two massive quakes (8.1 and 7.3 respectively) killed as many as 10,000 people.
The five confirmed fatalities all occurred in Qaxaco near the quake's epicenter.
Five people were killed when a powerful 7.5 earthquake rocked Mexico City just before noon on Sept. 30. The quake's epicenter was located in Qaxaco, a city some 310 miles southeast of Mexico City and 35 miles north-northwest of Puerto Angel.
Taiwan battered by huge quake
Posted 22 Sep 1999.
The earthquake occurred at 2 a.m. local time, when most people were sleeping. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it was much larger than the magnitude 7.3 quake which killed 15,000 people in Turkey in August, 1999.
The initial shaking destroyed buildings, cut off power and set fires all around Tapei, Taiwan's capital city. Nearly 1,000 aftershocks followed the initial tremor, leaving residents to spend the night outside for fear of further collapses.
The bulk of the damage was reported in central Taiwan, near the epicenter, which was roughly 90 miles south of Taipei.
To read more about earthquakes, check out our coverage of Turkey's tragedy.
The most powerful earthquake known to hit Taiwan rocked the island Sept. 20. Current reports suggest that more than 2,000 people are dead, 2,650 are buried in debris of collapsing buildings, and more than 3,900 are injured.
