Deadly magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Mexico, hours after nationwide public drill

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the western coast of Mexico on Monday afternoon.

President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed Monday afternoon that a person died due to a fence falling in a shopping center in Manzanillo, Colima.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it initially registered the strong earthquake about 25 miles southeast of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico, hitting just after 1 p.m. Central Time.

The earthquake was said to be felt as far inland as Mexico City.

Officials said a tsunami is not expected in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii or Alaska. 

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However, tsunami waves up to 10 feet above the tide level are possible along some coasts of Mexico, while minor tidal shifts up to a foot are possible along the Pacific Ocean shores. 

Patients at an Apatzingán dental office, located just over 100 miles from the earthquake's epicenter, watched as the room violently shook. 

Mexico City had planned an earthquake drill Monday afternoon to mark the anniversary of two deadly earthquakes, according to local reports. In 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed at least 9,500 people, and in 2017, more than 260 people died from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

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"It feels curious when (earthquakes) strike on the same calendar date in different years, but coincidences are just that – coincidences," the USGS said. 

Not far from where the earthquake originated is Tropical Storm Madeline in the eastern Pacific. The tropical storm's outer rain bands were forecast to produce several inches of rain off the Jalisco coast into Monday afternoon. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Read more of this story on FOX Weather

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