Thread: 6.7 earthquake strikes north of Acapulco, 3 dead

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.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 ... f-acapulco

Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, two dead

By Cyntia Barrera and Veronica Gomez | Reuters – 44 mins ago...

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least two people, knocking out lights in parts of the capital and sending people rushing into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries in Mexico City but emergency services said one person was killed when a house collapsed in Iguala, a small city between the capital and the tourist resort of Acapulco.

Another person was killed when a rock fell on a small van on the Mexico City-Acapulco highway.

"I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end," said Laura Gonzalez, who was drinking in a bar in the capital at the time of the quake, which lasted 40 seconds.

A severe earthquake in 1985 killed thousands of people and wrecked parts of Mexico City, and many residents live with the fear of a repeat.

"I was on the fifth floor when I felt it. It was a very strong shake," said Amor Lajud. "My dogs started barking. I just rushed out for the exit and got out.

Lajud lives in an apartment building in the fashionable Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, which suffered serious damage in the 1985 quake.

Shoppers at a popular department store in the Condesa district rushed out to the street, some of them crying and shouting, and traffic lights were out at several intersections, causing traffic jams.

The epicenter of the quake was in the southwestern state of Guerrero, 28 miles from Iguala, and was 40 miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It was felt in other states including Michoacan, Puebla and Hidalgo, local media reported.

"The most damage was in Iguala because the epicenter was very close to there," a spokesperson for Guerrero emergency services said.

Landslides had closed highways in the Pacific coast state but the duty fire officer in Acapulco said that while residents of the port city felt the earthquake, there were no reports of damage.

Power was knocked out in many districts of the capital and one building was evacuated, but Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said water services, the subway and the airport were working normally.

"The city center is fine, there are people skating on the ice rink," Mexico City emergency services spokesman Manuel Mondragon said of the winter entertainment set up in the central Zocalo square. "At the moment, there is no reason for concern."

A source from phone operator Telcel said services went out briefly in some sections of the city as the mobile network was overloaded with people trying to call family and friends.

State oil monopoly Pemex, which has few installations on the Pacific coast, said there were no reports of damage.

http://news.yahoo.com/usgs-says-6-7-mag ... 28745.html

Strong quake kills at least three in Mexico

Updated 6h ago

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck in Mexico's western Guerrero state Saturday night, shaking buildings and causing panic in the nation's capital and the Pacific resort of Acapulco. Officials said at least three people died, but there were no reports of widespread damage.

The U.S. Geological Service initially estimated the quake at magnitude at 6.8, but downgraded it to 6.7 and then 6.5. A quake of that magnitude is capable of causing severe damage, although the depth of this temblor lessened its impact.

The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 40.3 miles. It was centered about 26 miles southwest of Iguala in Guerrero and 103 miles south-southwest of Mexico City.

Mexico's Interior Department said the quake was felt in parts of nine states.

Humberto Calvo, undersecretary of Guerrero's Civil Protection agency, said three deaths had been reported in the state. He said one man was killed when a house's roof collapsed in Iguala, a second died in the small town of Ixcateopan and the driver of a cargo truck was killed by rocks that fell on the vehicle driving on the toll highway linking Acapulco with Mexico City.

Calvo said a secondary highway between the two cities was blocked in two places by rockslides.

High-rises swayed in the center of Mexico City for more than a minute, and shoppers were temporarily herded out of some shopping centers until the danger passed.

Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, reported by Twitter that no major damage had been reported. He said power failed in some parts of the city.

People in one part of Mexico City'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."

Parts of Mexico City rest on the shaky soil of a former lake bed, which tends to magnify the effect of earthquakes. An 8.1-magnitude quake in 1985 killed as many as 10,000 people in the city.

In Acapulco, which is in Guerrero, hundreds of anxious tourists congregated in the street after fleeing rocking buildings that are strung along the coastal boulevard. Patrons also left a movie theater complex.

Authorities said they found no structural damage and had no reports of injuries in the Pacific resort, which was about 87 miles from the quake's epicenter.

Rogelio Trujillo, chief of security at a Soriana department store in Acapulco, said perfume bottles, groceries and paintings had been shaken off shelves and customers ran out.

Alberto Orbe, a radio operator for the city's Civil Protection agency, said the office had received many phone calls from panicked residents.

The quake interrupted the annual silver festival in the tourist city of Taxco, midway between Acapulco and the capital.

A deep rumbling sound lasted for several seconds, then the whole city went dark as the ground shook. People ran out of hotels in the historic center of the old mining town and joined others who had been enjoying a band concert in the main plaza.

As people milled about, some illumination was provided from police pickup trucks doing security duty at the festival. After about 10 minutes, the band started up again and people began dancing.

The power was out for

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/stor ... 0/1?csp=hf