A powerful earthquake Assault southwest Mexico Authorities said at least one man was crushed to death by a falling column near the beach resort of Acapulco on Tuesday night, causing the rock to fall and damage the building.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred 11 miles northeast of Acapulco in Guerrero State, shaking hillsides around the city, falling trees and throwing large rocks onto the road.
Governor Hector Astudiro told the local television station that a man was killed by a falling pillar. He and other authorities said earlier that there were no reports of major losses caused by the earthquake, which caused power outages in many states.
Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador said that the earthquake did not cause significant damage to Guerrero State, neighboring areas of Oaxaca State, Mexico City and other places.
Acapulco is approximately 230 miles (375 kilometers) from Mexico City.
Acapulco Mayor Adela Roman said in a statement to the television news media Milenio, “There is no really serious situation.”
“There is neurasthenia, and people are worried about aftershocks,” she said, adding that “there are many gas leaks in many places” and some landslides and collapsed walls.
A Reuters witness said that in the Roma Sur neighborhood in central Mexico City, the lights went out, scaring residents to rush out, some wearing only pajamas. Residents huddled together in the rain, hugging young children or pets.
“This is terrible. Every time something like this happens, I think of the 1985 earthquake,” said Yesmin Rizk, a 70-year-old Roma Sur resident.
In 1985, a major earthquake occurred in the Mexican capital, killing thousands of people.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stated that the initial measured magnitude was 7.4 and was later downgraded to 7.0. The earthquake was relatively shallow, only 12 miles (20 kilometers) below the surface, which would amplify the vibration effect.
Comision Federal de Electricidad, a Mexican national electric company, said in a statement that 1.6 million users in Mexico City, neighboring Mexican states, and the states of Guerrero, Morelos, and Oaxaca were affected by the earthquake.
(Reporting by Uriel Sanchez, Sharay Angulo, and Dave Graham, additional reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher; writing by Shri Navaratnam; editing by Sandra Maler, Christopher Cushing, and Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
-File from the Associated Press
