Hundreds of buildings collapse as Mexico rocked by major earthquake
‘At least’ 58 dead while aftershocks continued for hours across the country
One of the most powerful earthquakes ever to strike Mexico has killed at least 58 people, toppling houses and businesses and sending panicked people into the streets more than 650 miles away.
Oaxaca state governor Alejandro Murat told local media that at least 45 people in his state died, and civil defence officials said at least ten died in the state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, while three died in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake hit off southern Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border with a magnitude as 8.1 – equal in force to a 1985 quake that killed thousands and devastated large parts of Mexico City.
Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were damaged, power was cut to more than 1.8 million people and authoritiesclosedschoolsinatleast11 states for safety checks.
The US Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours, and the president warned that a major after- shock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.
The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49pm on Thursday and its epicentre was 102 miles west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 43.3 miles.
The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico’s capital more than 650 miles away, and people still wearing nightclothes fled into the streets, gathering in frightened groups.
Chiapas governor Manuel Velasco said three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses.
Tabasco governor Arturo Nunez said two children died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children’s hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant’s ventilator. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said waves more than 3ft above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places.
The centre’s forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of 3ft. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific. Mexican authorities were evacuating some residents of coastal Tonala and Puerto Madero because of the warning.
The quake hit as emergency agencies were bracing for another crisis on the other side of the country. The US National Hurricane Centre said Hurricane Katia is likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early on Saturday as a category two storm that could bring life-threatening floods.