7.1 magnitude earthquake shakes Central, Southern Mexico

Mexico City, Sep 7 (EFE).- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake with an epicenter very close to the Acapulco resort shook central and southern Mexico on Tuesday, with no casualties reported as of publication time.

The tremor occurred at 8:47 p.m. local time (01:47 GMT), 11 kilometers southwest of Acapulco, in the southern state of Guerrero, the National Seismological Service said.

Speaking to Milenio TV, Guerrero Governor Hector Astudillo, said the earthquake “felt very strong” and people are “quite alarmed.”

But he said there are no “serious” reports at the moment and asked citizens to be “careful” for possible aftershocks.

The earthquake activated the seismic alert in Mexico City, where thousands of people left houses and buildings as a security and prevention measure, and where electricity cuts have occurred in several neighborhoods.

“The Secretary of Citizen Security (Omar Garcia Harfuch) is flying over (the city). So far no serious damage has been reported. We continue to report,” Mexico City’s Government Head Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on Twitter .

Later, Garcia Harfuch reported power outages in some neighborhoods of the city but said the metro service is working normally.

The earthquake occurred exactly four years after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Gulf of Tehuantepec on Sept. 7, 2017 that mainly affected the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, where 98 people lost their lives.

The navy said a tsunami is not expected in the coastal zone. EFE

jmrg/lds