Quake in Mexico leaves 32 dead

MEXICO CITY: At least 32 people were killed after a massive 8.1 magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest recorded in Mexico, struck off the country’s southern coast late on Thursday, causing cracks in buildings and triggering a small tsunami, authorities have said.

The quake was apparently stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands, but this time damage to the city was limited.

A number of buildings suffered severe damage in parts of southern Mexico. Some of the worst initial reports came from the town of Juchitan in Oaxaca state, where sections of the town hall, a hotel, a bar and other buildings were reduced to rubble.

Alejandro Murat, the state governor, said 23 deaths had been registered in Oaxaca, 17 of them in Juchitan.

An emergency services spokesman said seven people had also been confirmed dead in the neighbouring state of Chiapas.

The governor of Tabasco, Arturo Nunez, said two children had died in his state.

The US Geological Survey said the 8.1 magnitude quake had its epicentre in the Pacific Ocean, 87km south-west of the town of Pijijiapan in Chiapas, at a depth of 69km.

Windows were shattered at Mexico City airport and power went out in several suburbs, affecting more than one million people. – Reuters

PICTURE: EPA A view of the damage after the 8.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City.