The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a powerful earthquake rocked southwest Mexico near the beach resort of Acapulco late Tuesday, shaking the capital, Mexico City, hundreds of miles away.
The earthquake struck about 15 kilometers from the city of Acapulco in Guerrero on Tuesday night (local time).
Residents fled from their houses and into the streets for safety as the tremors from the quake prompted rock falls and damaged some buildings.
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One man was reportedly killed by a falling post.
#Mexico City’s skyline, showing the Earthquake Lights from a 7.1 quake with an epicenter in Acapulco #earthquake pic.twitter.com/sf37B7MGSg
— John Knowing news 2 (@johnknowing2) September 8, 2021
Initial reports of damage in Acapulco, Mexico, following a magnitude 7.0 #earthquake. pic.twitter.com/UPDfILdbah
— Tyler Roney (@TylerJRoney) September 8, 2021
The United States Tsunami Warning System sent out an urgent alert shortly after the earthquake struck, warning of potential “hazardous tsunami waves” for coasts located within 300 kilometers of the epicenter.
About an hour later the agency downgraded the warning, saying the threat had passed.
The impact of the earthquake was captured in videos since shared online – which show Mexico City’s skyline lit up in bright blue flashes.
The Federal Electricity Commission said 1.6 million customers users had been left without power across Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Morelos, as reported by the New York Times.
Earthquake MEXICO CITY TONIGHT #earthquake #sismo #cdmx pic.twitter.com/oOVPzo9Ezp
— Noli ZaldÃvar (@nolizaldivar) September 8, 2021
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said there had been no major damage to infrastructure across Mexico in a video posted to Twitter.
Mexico sees semi-regular earthquake activity, with a 7.5 magnitude quake striking the country’s Pacific coast last year, killing at least six people and damaging about 500 homes.