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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | April 2007 
Strong Earthquake Shakes Mexico, No Injuries
 Gerardo Torres - Reuters
| | An earthquake measuring 6.0 shook portions of Mexico early on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (Graphic/Reuters) | 
| | A firefighter inspects a building after an earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.3 Richter, shook Mexico City, at 00:42 local time (05:42 GMT), Friday 13 April 2007. Nervous residents and tourists took to the streets, as the tremor brought back memories of the 1985 earthquake which killed at least 9,000 people, caused injuries to 30,000, and left 100,000 homeless. In the city 412 buildings were destroyed and over 3,000 seriously damaged. (EPA/David de la Paz) |
A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 shook Mexico early on Friday, sending thousands of tourists in Acapulco fleeing into the streets in panic and knocking out electricity as far away as the capital.
There were no immediate reports of injuries from the quake, centered in the Pacific coastal state of Guerrero.
"Oh man, we felt it. We jumped out of bed and went into the garden. I was fast asleep. It really shook. Things fell off shelves," said Acapulco resident Anna Archdale de Palazuelos.
Tourists, many of them in nightgowns and pajamas, were evacuated from their hotels in Acapulco, where 20,000 homes lost electricity.
Power also went down in some areas of Mexico City, which was devastated by a 8.1 magnitude earthquake in 1985 that killed around 10,000 people.
"We were in the house sleeping. It woke us up. My girlfriend heard a noise like thunder," said Mexico City resident Adan Gutierrez.
Inhabitants in the capital's central Tlatelolco district, badly hit 22 years ago, swarmed out into a main square. Mexican radio said the windows of some homes there were broken.
Friday's quake hit at 12:42 local time (05:42 GMT) and was centered 40 miles northwest of Acapulco, the biggest city in Guerrero and home to around a million people.
Fire services in the city rushed out to check for damage. Authorities in the state capital Chilpancingo said they had no reports of serious damage or injuries.
An aftershock was felt in Mexico City about three hours later, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was magnitude 5.4. It was centered close to the first tremor.
Emergency services in the capital and in Acapulco both said there were no reports of injuries or damage.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Bremer and Adriana Barrera in Mexico City and Diane Bartz in Washington) |
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