ACAPULCO, Mexico: A powerful earthquake struck southwestern Mexico near the beach resort of Acapulco on Tuesday night, killing a minimum of 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 northeast of Acapulco in Guerrero state, shook the hillsides around the city, downing trees and pitching large boulders onto roads.
State governor Hector Astudillo told local television that a person was killed by a falling post. He and other authorities had earlier said there have been no reports of major damage from the quake, which caused power outages in several states.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the temblor had not caused major damages in Guerrero, the neighboring region of Oaxaca, Mexico City et al..
Acapulco is roughly 230 miles (375 km) from Mexico City.
In the central Roma Sur neighborhood of Mexico City, lights went off and scared residents rushed out, some wearing little quiet pajamas, a Reuters witness said. Residents huddled together in the rain, holding young children or pets.
“It was terrible. It really jogs my memory of the 1985 quake whenever something like this happens,” said Yesmin Rizk, a 70-year-old Roma Sur resident.
A massive earthquake that struck Mexico City in 1985 killed thousands of individuals.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, initially measured at a magnitude of seven .4 and later downgraded to 7.0, was relatively shallow, only 12 miles (20 km) below the surface, which might have amplified the shaking effect.
Mexican state power utility the Comision Federal de Electricidad said during a statement 1.6 million users had been suffering from the quake in Mexico City , the adjacent State of Mexico, and therefore the states of Guerrero, Morelos, and Oaxaca.
