6.7 earthquake strikes north of Acapulco

By msnbc.com staff and news services

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the region around Acapulco on Saturday night, and people in Mexico City fled into the streets.

The epicenter was about 82 miles north of Acapulco in the southwestern state of Guerrero and about 40 miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Buildings in Mexico City, about 100 miles northeast of the epicenter, swayed during the quake.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

People in one part of the capital's upscale Condesa neighborhood ran out of their houses and gathered in the streets, hugging each other while some shook and began to cry. On one street, a group of women joined hands in a circle, closed their eyes and began to pray.

"Please God, help us and let everything be OK," said one. "It's OK. It's OK. Everything is OK."

Reuters reporters in Mexico City said the earthquake seemed to go on for an unusually long period.

"I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end," said Laura Gonzalez, who was drinking in a bar in the capital when the quake struck.

Power was knocked out in parts of the capital, but Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard said water services, the subway and the airport were working normally.

A severe earthquake in 1985 killed thousands of people and wrecked parts of Mexico City.

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