AT least one man is dead after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the popular Mexican tourist hotspot of Acapulco on Tuesday night.
Tremors were felt more than 200 miles away in Mexico City and tsunami fears were sparked after a warning was issued by the US Geological Survey.
12
12
12
12
12
The quake, which struck 11 miles northeast of Acapulco, downed trees and hurled large boulders onto roads.
A man was killed in a town northwest of Acapulco when he was struck by a falling light post.
Seismologists feared that hazardous tsunami waves could hit coasts located within 300km of the epicenter.
Pictures show parked cars outside hotels covered in ash and debris.
Patients in Acapulco's general hospital were moved to another wing because of damage to the building, The Washington Post reports.
Footage posted on social media by Mexican sportscaster Javier Alarcon shows people screaming and hugging each other as they survey the damage outside an apartment block.
Most read in The US Sun
The earthquake was felt in Mexico City, sending locals and tourists spilling onto the streets from their hotels.
Officials in Guerrero state said the quake led to rockfalls and landslides and many gas leaks were reported.
Landslides caused traffic delays on the main Chilpancingo-Acapulco highway as both lanes were closed.
In the Roma Sur neighborhood of Mexico City, scared residents rushed out of their homes with some wearing no more than pajamas, according to witnesses.
Locals huddled together in the rain as they held young children and pets.
"It was terrible. It really reminds me of the 1985 quake every time something like this happens," said Yesmin Rizk, a 70-year-old Roma Sur resident.
At least 5,000 people were killed by the 8.0 quake that struck the Mexican capital in September 1985. It's feared that the death toll was as high as 45,000.
According to electricity provider CFE, around 1.6 million people across central Mexico were left without power.
Dramatic footage shows the sky lighting up as transformers across Mexico City exploded due to the quake.
A cable car was filmed swinging precariously as blackouts hit the capital.
'IT WAS TERRIBLE'
Officials in Mexico City briefly shut down the subway network but services have now restarted.
In some parts of the capital, the ground shook for nearly a minute.
Scores of aftershocks have been recorded following the quake.
Adela Román, the mayor of Acapulco, told local media that the situation is "not serious".
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there was no serious damage beyond "collapsed walls" and "falling rocks".
He said: "Fortunately there is not serious damage. Fortunately, so far we don't have information about the loss of any lives ."
Guerrero Gov. Hector Astudillo said the tsunami alert center had not registered any variations in the sea level.
Read More on The US Sun
The earthquake happened four years to the day that a magnitude 8.2 tremor struck Mexico's southern state of Chiapas.
The quake devastated the town of Juchitan and killed dozens of people.
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
