Magnitude 8.1 earthquake strikes Mexico, at least 2 dead
Members of the Mexican army look at damage caused by an earthquake in the Port of Veracuz on September 7, 2017. A rare and powerful 8.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico late on September 7, killing at least two people as seismologists warned of a tsunami of more than three meters. / AFP-Yonhap
By Park Si-soo
A powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Thursday (local time), killing at least two people, toppling buildings and setting off a tsunami warning.
The quake was so strong that it reportedly caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 1,000 kilometers away. Many people fled buildings screaming after electricity was knocked out.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday (local time). Its epicenter was 165 kilometers west of Tapachula in Chiapas, not far from Guatemala. It had a depth of 35 kilometers.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves were possible on the Pacific coasts of several Central American countries -- including Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras -- within three hours.
“The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily,” Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, a poor, largely indigenous state popular with tourists, told The Associated Press.
Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said two women died on San Cristobal when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a precaution.
“There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy,” Velasco said. “Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged.”