Strong earthquake shakes southwest Mexico

Gulf Today Report

A powerful earthquake struck near the Pacific resort city of Acapulco on Tuesday night, killing at least one man who was crushed by a falling post, and causing rock falls and damaging buildings, authorities said.

The 7.0 magnitude quake, which hit 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Acapulco in Guerrero state, causing buildings to rock and sway in Mexico City nearly 200 miles away, but no serious damage or injuries were reported.

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State governor Hector Astudillo told local television that a man was killed by a falling post in Coyuca de Benitez, a small town just west of Acapulco. He and other authorities had earlier said there were no reports of major damage from the quake, which caused power outages in several states.

A couple walks past a damaged cab in Acapulco, Mexico, on Tuesday. AP

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the temblor had not caused major damages in Guerrero, the neighboring region of Oaxaca, Mexico City and elsewhere.

An Acapulco resident Sergio Flores said on a phone call that, "We heard loud noise from the building, noise from the windows, things fell inside the house, the power went out,”

"We heard leaking water, the water went out of the pool and you heard people screaming, very nervous people.”

People react during an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, on Tuesday. Reuters

All he could do when it started shaking was hug his wife, Flores said. He saw people leaving hotels around the bay and some running into parking decks to remove their cars, fearing a collapse.

"We were all worried about some change in the sea, but so far authorities have not said anything about a tsunami alert,” he said.

Acapulco is roughly 230 miles from Mexico City.

In Mexico City, the ground shook for nearly a minute in some parts of the capital, but the quake was less evident in other parts. Some people evacuated their buildings briefly, but most quickly went back inside on a rainy night.

Locals sit on a sidewalk after a strong earthquake in Acapulco, Mexico, on Tuesday. AP

"I was at home with my mom and my dogs and the seismic alert started to sound,” said Claudia Guarneros, a makeup artist. "My mother was in another room and I started to call her. The house started moving and in the last part of the earthquake the power went out and we couldn’t see anything, we just saw some things falling.”

Mexico City authorities said there were no early reports of significant damage in the city, though electricity was knocked out in some neighborhoods. Some broken windows in a downtown high rise covered the sidewalk in glass.