7.6 magnitude earthquake hits Mexico's Pacific coast
Strong tremors were felt in Mexico City and prompted panicked residents to flee from shaking buildings yesterday as a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted Mexico's Pacific coast.
The quake, which struck at 12:02 local time yesterday (2:02am today Beijing Time), had a depth of 17.50 km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter was located 193 kilometers east of the famous Mexican tourist resort of Acapulco on the Pacific coast in Guerrero state, the USGS said.
Mexico's President Felipe Calderon said in his Twitter account that no severe damages have been reported.
Buildings in the Mexico City swayed amid strong tremors and residents ran out of their homes into the streets.
Residents told Xinhua that buildings in the populous central residential area of Condesa in Mexico city shook for several minutes.
"This was terrifying, it was without doubt the strongest earthquake I have ever experienced here," a terrified resident told Xinhua on the street after fleeing from a building.
Shortly after the tremor stopped, ambulance sirens were heard in many parts of the Mexican capital which is home to some 20 million people.
"There was earth and smoke coming from below the ground, even the tallest of the buildings in Reforma Avenue were swaying wildly from side to side and windows were crashing around us," said Maria Gonzalez, a worker who was at the city' financial district next to the Mexican Stock Exchange when the quake happened.
"The whole ground started moving below me where I was walking, people were terrified. This felt as strong as in 1985," said Gonzalez, referring to the 8.0-magnitude quake which killed over 10,000 people in Mexico in 1985 and left the capital in ruins.
Mobile telephone networks crashed and power outlets were cut in several parts of the city, but internet services was reported to be working.
【新闻快讯】
北京时间今天凌晨2点02分，墨西哥南部格雷罗州阿卡普尔科市附近地区发生里氏7.6级地震，震源深度为17.5公里。首都墨西哥城震感强烈，建筑物摇晃，不少民众拥到街上，手机信号暂时中断。
墨西哥位于环太平洋地震带东部，多个板块在此交汇，因此墨西哥所处区域为全世界最重要的地震高发区之一，一位墨西哥城的居民说，平时，他们经常能感觉到轻微的地震，但是这一次明显与往常不同。群众：我吓坏了，我感到整个世界都在震动，震得很厉害。我们平时也经常能感觉到一些小地震，一般也就几秒钟，但这一次持续的时间格外长，大约有两分钟左右。我当时在工作，马上跑出了办公楼，街上有很多人，但是我没有看到救护车什么的，一切还算正常。
震区当地官员称，已经收到500座房屋受损的报告，但还没有收到人员伤亡情况的报告。
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