(Eagle News) — A very strong magnitude 8.1 quake rocked Mexico at 4:49 UTC time (12:59 p.m., Philippine time) near the coast of Chiapas, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Preliminary reports showed that the quake had a depth of 35 kilometers. Its epicenter was located 96 kilometers southwest of Pijijiapan, Mexico.
The USGS earlier recorded the quake at 8.0, but upgraded it to a magnitude 8.1 quake later.
Strong aftershocks
A few minutes after the initial main quake, at 5:01 UTC time (1:01 p.m. Philippine time) another quake, an aftershock with a magnitude of 5.7 shook Mexico again, some 29 kilometers southwest of Paredo. The tremor again had a depth of 35 kilometers.
More aftershocks were recorded by USGS, in the vicinity of magnitude 5.
The massive 8-magnitude earthquake caused buildings to sway. People rushed out into the streets at Mexico’s capital city.
Tsunami threat
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat to several Central American countries, including the Pacific coastlines of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
But it said the threat was still being evaluated for the other islands of Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific islands.
(Eagle News Service)
