Magnitude-8 earthquake hits southern Mexico, shakes buildings in capital

In distant Mexico City, the quake was felt strongly and frightened people gathered in the streets

A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 and its epicentre was 165 kilometres west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state not far from Guatemala. It had a depth of 35 km.

The US Tsunami Warning System said the earthquake was a potential tsunami threat to several Central American countries, including the Pacific coastlines of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. It said the threat was still being evaluated for Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific islands.

Even in distant Mexico City, the quake was felt so strongly that frightened residents gathered in the streets in the dark, often in their pajamas, fearing that buildings would collapse.