Strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southern Mexico, felt in Mexico City
June 30th, 2010 - 3:26 pm ICT by BNO NewsMEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) — A strong earthquake rocked southern Mexico on early Wednesday, and witnesses reported feeling strong shaking in the country’s capital. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 2.22 a.m. local time (07.22 GMT) was centered approximately 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) southeast of Pinotepa Nacional in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, or 355 kilometers (220 miles) south-southeast of Mexico City. The quake struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to Mexico’s Seismological Service.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.2 on the Richter scale.
Rodrigo Javier Aguiar, the head of BNO News’ office in Mexico City, reported feeling strong shaking in the capital. “I was about to sleep when I felt a small movement, but then everything started to sway. I was unable to walk,” he said. “It lasted about 30 seconds.”
Aguiar said helicopters were flying over the city to check for damage, if any, and said power outages were reported in some parts of Mexico City. But there were no immediate reports of severe damage or casualties, neither from Mexico City nor from areas closer to the epicenter.
“My report is that we have a power outage in northern Roma [a neighborhood in central Mexico City] and we are inspecting the area street by street,” said Marcelo Ebrard, the Head of Government of Mexico’s Federal District. “We have no damage reported so far.”
The USGS estimated that more than 23 million people likely felt the earthquake, ranging from light shaking to very strong shaking. “Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction,” the agency said.
It further estimated that approximately 53,000 people of those who felt the earthquake likely perceived ‘very strong’ shaking, which could result in moderate to heavy damage. Some 255,000 others perceived ’strong’ shaking, which could result in light to moderate damage.
Around 461,000 were estimated to have felt moderate shaking, it added.
On August 28, 1973, a major 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck about 222 kilometers (137.9 miles) northeast of Wednesday’s earthquake, leaving more than 600 people dead.
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