5.8-magnitude quake strikes central Mexico

MEXICO CITY- A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico early Sunday, so far without any casualties or damage reported, officials said.

The quake struck just after midnight local time (0519 GMT), southwest of the city of Huitzuco, in Guerrero state, at a depth of about 30 miles (50 kilometers), according to Mexico’s National Seismological Service.

The officials downgraded the tremor’s magnitude from an initial report of 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Although the quake was felt strongly in the capital, “in the preliminary report, Mexico City was not damaged,” Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera wrote on his Twitter feed.

But the power was out in some areas of Mexico City, a local radio station reported, and the strong tremors sparked panic in some restaurants and bars, as customers hastily evacuated.

An 8.1-magnitude earthquake on September 19, 1985 destroyed part of the city and killed 3,700 people, according to official tallies. Civil groups put the death toll from that powerful quake even higher, at around 20,000 people.