An earthquake of strength 6.4 on the Richter scale lasting some 50 seconds was recorded in Mexico on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. CDT, the second large quake in the country in some 20 days.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 28 kilometers southwest of the town of Tecpan in the state of Guerrero at a depth of 17 kilometers, according to the National Seismological Service. An automobile bridge was reported to have collapsed in Tecpan.
Initially the National Seismological Service said the quake was at strength 6.6 but then adjusted it down to 6.4. Five aftershocks were recorded, but the first, at 12:16 p.m., with a magnitude of 5.1, was the strongest.
The quake today is the second high intensity quake in Mexico in the last month. On April 18, Mexico suffered an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, also with its epicenter in Guerrero.
After a "comprehensive review" of Mexico City, the fire department did not report any severe damage, said Raul Esquivel, director of the Fire Department of the City of Mexico, Raul Esquivel.
But the quake caused damage to a building in the northern neighborhood of Peralvillo and a wall fell in the Torre Blanca neighborhood, said Esquivel.
Thousands of people were evacuated from their workplaces as a precaution and electricity was suspended in different areas while services confirmed there was no major damage to the city’s infrastructure.
Hundreds of workers were still on the streets when an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter toured downtown Mexico City.
"I was working on my computer when suddenly all started moving around in the office, desk, curtains, everything,” said Rogelio Perez, who works on Avenida Reforma, one of the main roads of the city. “Someone shouted 'earthquake,’ but as we were on the 11th floor of the building, we could not descend.”
“We had to wait out the earthquake to get out,” he said. “We were very afraid."
The tremor came to Mexico City as senators of the republic were discussing secondary laws on political reform, slated for a vote in the next few days. Discussions were suspended and reconvened a few hours later.
The quake registered in several states in the Midwest, besides the Federal District and Guerrero, among which are Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
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