Strong Mexico quake causes panic but no damage reported

MEXICO CITY—Thousands of Mexicans rushed into the streets early Thursday after being woken by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, but authorities said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The epicenter of the earthquake was near the town of Altamirano in the southern state of Guerrero, Mexico’s seismology service said. Aftershocks rippled through the area for two hours after the first shock.

Mexico’s Civil Protection Service said there were no reports of damage or casualties in southern and central Mexico, but local authorities continued to assess the situation.

The quake came a little over a week after a 7.4-magnitude temblor killed 44 people in neighboring Guatemala and injured another 150, that country’s most violent earthquake since 1976.

Electric power was cut in some parts of Mexico City, but there were no reports of major damage in the sprawling city, where many people still remember a devastating 1985 earthquake that killed an estimated 10,000 people.

Residents of high-rise buildings in the center of the city poured into the streets after the latest quake.

“We felt it, very strong and very prolonged, it lasted nearly a minute,” said Daniel Hernandez, an architect who lives in the capital’s Colonia Roma district, which suffered the worst destruction in 1985.

Marcelo Ebrard, the city head of government, said on Twitter: “We have completed a second check of the city and we have no damage. All services are working.”

He said the city’s hospitals, its metro and the airport were all operating normally.

Helicopter surveys of the city found no major damage to roads or infrastructure, but five structures will undergo closer inspection, said Elias Moreno Brizuela.

In Acapulco, the Pacific resort that is also Guerrero state’s biggest city, there were scenes of panic in the hotel district, but no major damage, according to Foro TV news channel.

The state governor, Angel Aguirre also went on Twitter to say there were no immediate reports of damage.

The US Geological Service said the quake, which struck at 3:20 am (0920 GMT) occurred at a depth of 61 kilometers (38 miles).