Man walks over broken glass in Mexico City
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit southwest Mexico, damaging buildings and forcing evacuations in the capital.
The quake struck Guerrero state, about 15 miles from the city of Ometepec.
It was followed by a strong aftershock that were felt in Mexico City where office workers fled into the street.
Telephone lines went down, hospitals were evacuated and traffic jams built up within moments.
Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter he could see no damage as he flew overhead in a helicopter.
People left their offices to see if damage had been caused
He added the water system and other "strategic services" appeared to be running normally.
And Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, also said on his Twitter account there were no reports of serious damage.
The governor of Guerrero state, Angel Aguirre, said he had received reports of 500 homes damaged, with some of them knocked down.
"It was very strong but we didn't see anything fall," said Irma Ortiz, who runs a guesthouse in neigbouring Oaxaca.
US President Barack Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, was reported safe while on holiday with a school group in Oaxaca.
In the Pacific coast beach resort of Acapulco, tourists ran out of cafes and restaurants, a local resident said.
At first the quake was thought to have a 7.9 magnitude but this was downgraded by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
In 1985 an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City, killing over 10,000 people and damaging hundreds of buildings.
RECOMMEND
No comments:
Post a Comment