Mexico, 8 September(Wishav Warta): An earthquake of magnitude 8.1 struck off the southern coast of Mexico late on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, killing at least six people, triggering small tsunami waves and damaging some buildings. The quake was apparently stronger than a devastating 1985 tremor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands, but initial reports of damage in the city were limited.
The epicentre was 54 miles (87 km) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan in the southern state of Chiapas, at a depth of 43 miles. The quake triggered waves as high as 2.3 ft (0.7 m) in Mexico, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. It said widespread, hazardous tsunami waves were possible within three hours.
However, there was no tsunami threat for American Samoa and Hawaii, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System As far as 14,000 km (8700 miles) away in the Philippines, the national disaster agency put the country’s entire eastern seaboard on alert. No forced evacuation was ordered, but residents were told to monitor emergency radio broadcasts. In Mexico, some buildings were severely damaged in the south of the country, including a hotel where rescuers were searching to make sure nobody was trapped.
