La Manzanilla Message Board: Re: Earthquake

Please be alert, La Manz!

MEXICO CITY-- A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico early Friday, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 8.0 and its epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state, not far from Guatemala. It was 20 miles beneath the Earth's surface.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, the Reuters news agency reported.

Mexico's civil protection agency said it was the strongest quake to hit the country since a devastating 1985 shaker that toppled buildings and killed thousands.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said the temblor posted a potential tsunami threat to several Central American countries, including the Pacific coastlines of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It said the threat was still being evaluated for Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific islands.

Even in distant Mexico City the quake was felt so strongly that frightened residents gathered in the streets in the dark, often in their pajamas, fearing buildings would collapse.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/powerful-earthquake-hits-off-mexicos-southern-coast/