| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2008 
6.5 Earthquake Sparks Panic in Southern Mexico
 Agence France-Presse
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| | A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck in the Pacific near Guatemala's border with Mexico, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Thursday. (Graphics/Reuters) | | |
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico - A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico's southern Chiapas state Thursday, near the Guatemalan border, sparking panic in the region, local officials and US scientists said.
The quake struck about 21 kilometers (13 miles) from the Mexican city of Suchiate at 2:41 pm (1941 GMT), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Mexican officials, who estimated the strength of the temblor at 6.2 using the Richter scale, said there were no immediate reports of damage.
The US Geological Service (USGS) measured the quake at 6.5, using the more reliable Moment Magnitude scale.
The quake was felt across Chiapas, particularly in coastal areas, residents reported.
There was no destructive widespread tsunami threat, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.
But it warned that "earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive" along nearby coasts.
The quake struck at a depth of 75.2 kilometers (46.7 miles), just off the Pacific coast, the USGS said.
Mexico's southwestern coast is prone to earthquakes, with several smaller shocks registered in recent days. |
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