A major earthquake off Mexico's southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude as 8.1 and said it was centered off of Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border. But President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City.

Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.

Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them.

The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 1o2 miles (165 kilometers) west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43.3 miles).

The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out.

"The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas.

Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure.

"There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged."

Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one meter (3.3 feet) above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.

Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning.

Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage.

"We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist in California who works with the U.S. Geological Survey, said such s quake was to be expected.

"Off the west coast of Mexico is what's called the subduction zone, the Pacific Plate is moving under the Mexican peninsula," she said. "It's a very flat fault, so it's a place that has big earthquakes relatively often because of that."

"There's likely to be a small tsunami going to the southwest. It's not going to be coming up and affecting California or Hawaii," she said. "For tsunami generation, an 8 is relatively small." </s> A major earthquake struck Mexico and Guatemala Thursday night, and it could be the biggest in Mexico in more than a century, according to the Associated Press.

The epicenter of the earthquake was off Mexico’s southern coast, but was felt 650 miles north in Mexico City, and as far east as Guatemala and Honduras.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 8.1 on the Richter scale, but Mexican President Enrique Nieto on Twitter said the latest measures put the earthquake at 8.2, making it the “the strongest in nearly a century.”

The earthquake triggered a small tsunami, with waves of about 2.3 feet. The tsunami is not a big worry, Nieto said.

At least fifteen people have died from the earthquake, Mexican civil defense Minister Luis Felipe Puente said on Televisa network Friday. Nieto has warned that aftershocks could be as strong as 7.2, and U.S.G.S. has recorded 20 aftershocks higher than 4.0, Reuters reports.

When the earthquake struck at 11:49 p.m. local time, people fled to the streets in their pajamas. Since Mexico City was struck by a devastating earthquake in 1985, the city has imposed building standards and earthquake response systems that sounded moments after the earth began to shake.

“I had never been anywhere where the earth moved so much,” Luis Carlos Briceno, who was visiting Mexico City, told Reuters. “At first I laughed, but when the lights went out I didn’t know what to do. I nearly fell over.”

Three were killed in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost and poorest state, according to Puente, and 10 have died in Oaxaca. The governor of neighboring Tabasco state said two children had died, bringing the death toll to fifteen.

“The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily,” Rodrigo Soberanes, a resident of San Cristobal de las Casas in the Chiapas, told the AP.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. </s> The death toll from the most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico was expected to climb Friday as rescue crews searched through the ruins of collapsed buildings in the coastal areas closest to the epicenter.

As of Friday evening, the National Emergency Committee said 58 had died in the earthquake, according to Mexico's civil defense chief Luis Felipe Puente.

Hardest hit were southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, but tremors from the temblor that hit just before 1 a.m. ET were felt 460 miles away in Mexico City. Thousands of pajama-clad residents fled into the streets to escape their shaking houses.

This quake, which prompted warnings of possible tsunami waves up to 10 feet high, was stronger than the 1985 tremor that killed more than 5,000 people in Mexico's capital, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

But with an epicenter 40 miles off the country's coast, the first reports were that Mexico City had largely been spared.

It was a different story in Oaxaca, where Gov. Alejandro Murat reported at least 45 fatalities. More deaths were reported in the Chiapas and Tabasco states, including three children, according to officials.

One child in Tabasco was killed by a collapsing wall, the state's Gov. Arturo Nunez said. Also, a baby at a hospital died when the building lost power.

The Mexican president said there had been at least 62 aftershocks and warned his countrymen to brace themselves for one that could hit 7.2 on the Richer scale could hit in the next 24 hours.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, more than homes and businesses lost power, Peña Nieto said. Within hours, electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them.

In Chiapas, the state closest to the offshore epicenter, there were reports some buildings had been badly damaged. Its governor, Manuel Velasco Coello, said on Facebook that around 1,000 army troops were helping with the rescue and recovery effort.

Several towns that were in danger of being hit by the tsunami waves were evacuated, Coello said.

In Mexico City, survivors described how they were shaken awake by the quake.

"I felt the shaking and knew it was an earthquake," said Mark Van Eps, a 39-year-old musician from Los Angeles who was vacationing in Mexico City. "There was an earthquake alarm shortly after that."

"The street and buildings started swaying considerably," said Harry Neville-Towle, a 30-year-old art director visiting from Sydney, Australia. "All the cars started pulling over and people started coming out of their houses ... People were afraid to go back inside for at least an hour, as we were all unsure of whether their might be an aftershock."

Classes were canceled in Mexico City and several other states so that officials could make sure the buildings were structurally sound, the president said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, small tsunami waves of 3.3 feet washed ashore the city of Salina Cruz while 2.3-foot waves were measured at the resort town of Huatulco, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The Mexican government agency warned that waves of up to 10 feet could hit other parts of the country.

"We are waiting for a while to see if this is going to happen or not," Interior Secretary Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong told Mexican broadcaster Televisa.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially estimated the magnitude at 8.0 before revising it to 8.1. The Mexican Seismological Agency rated it at magnitude 8.4.

In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales said there had been some damage and unconfirmed reports that one person had died.

Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods. </s> JUCHITAN, Mexico: At least 58 people died when the most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico in over eight decades tore through buildings, forced mass evacuations and triggered alerts as far away as Southeast Asia, with most fatalities in the picturesque state of Oaxaca.

The 8.1 magnitude quake off the southern coast late Thursday was stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands.

This time damage to the city was limited as the quake was deeper and further from the capital.

"It almost knocked me over," said Gildardo Arenas Rios, a 64-year-old security guard in Mexico City's Juarez neighborhood, who was making his rounds when buildings began moving.

The southern town of Juchitan in Oaxaca state on Mexico's narrowest point and near the epicenter, was hit particularly hard, with sections of the town hall, a hotel, a bar and other buildings reduced to rubble.

"The situation is Juchitan is critical; this is the most terrible moment in its history," said mayor Gloria Sanchez after the long, rumbling quake that also shook Guatemala and El Salvador nearby to the south.

Shocked residents stepped through the rubble of about 100 collapsed buildings including houses, a flattened Volkswagen dealership and Juchitan's battered town hall.

"Look at what it did to my house," said Maria Magdalena Lopez, in tears outside its shattered walls. "It was horrifying, it fell down."

Alma Rosa, sitting in vigil with a relative by the body of a loved one draped in a red shroud, said: "We went to buy a coffin, but there aren't any because there are so many bodies."

All the deaths were in three neighboring states clustered round the epicenter. In Oaxaca, 45 people died, in Chiapas 10 and in Tabasco three people lost their lives, said the head of Mexico's civil protection agency head, Luis Felipe Puentes.

Chiapas' Governor Manuel Velasco said 12 had died in Chiapas, which would bring the total to 60.

In Chiapas, home to many of Mexico's indigenous ethnic groups, thousands of people in coastal areas were evacuated as a precaution when the quake sparked tsunami warnings.

Waves rose as high as 2.3 ft (0.7 m) in Mexico, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, though that threat passed.

State oil company Pemex said it was checking its installations for damage and closed the Salina Cruz refinery in the same region as the epicenter as a precautionary measure. It began to restart the 330,000 bpd refinery on Friday afternoon.

At least 250 people in Oaxaca were also injured, according to agriculture minister Jose Calzada.

Classes were suspended in much of central and southern Mexico on Friday to allow authorities to assess damage.

People ran into the streets in Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities with an estimated population of more than 20 million, and alarms sounded after the quake struck just before midnight.

In one central neighborhood, dozens stood outside, some wrapped in blankets against the cool night air. Children were crying.

Liliana Villa, 35, who was in her apartment when the quake struck, fled in her nightclothes.

"It felt horrible, and I thought, 'this (building) is going to fall,'" she said.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake's epicenter was in the Pacific, 54 miles (87 km) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan at a depth of 43 miles (69 km).

John Bellini, a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said Thursday's quake was the strongest in Mexico since an 8.1 temblor struck the western state of Jalisco in 1932.

Across the Pacific, the national disaster agency of the Philippines put the country's eastern seaboard on alert for possible tsunamis, although no evacuations were ordered.

Rescue workers searched through the night for anyone trapped in collapsed buildings but by early Friday the toll appeared to be less severe than that seen in many far less powerful tremors.

Windows were shattered at Mexico City airport and power went out in several neighborhoods of the capital, affecting more than one million people. The cornice of a hotel came down in the southern tourist city of Oaxaca, a witness said.

Helicopters buzzed overhead looking for damage to the city, which is built on a spongy, drained lake bed that amplifies earthquakes along the volcanic country's multiple seismic fault-lines, even when they occur hundreds of miles away.

The 1985 earthquake was by the coast, about 200 miles from Mexico City. Thursday's quake was 470 miles from the city.

Authorities reported dozens of aftershocks, and President Pena Nieto said the quake was felt by around 50 million of Mexico's roughly 120 million population, with further aftershocks likely. He advised people to check their homes and offices for damage and gas leaks.

Mexico is evaluating whether the quake will trigger a payout from a World Bank-backed catastrophe bond, Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said on Friday. Meade said the bond's coverage could reach US$150 million, depending on magnitude and location.

But he said Mexico has sufficient funds to pay for a clean-up whether the bond was triggered or not. </s> MEXICO CITY (AP) — A major earthquake off Mexico’s southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 8.1, but President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City.

Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.

Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them.

The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 165 kilometers (102 miles) west of Tapachula in Chiapas, close to Guatemala. It had a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43.3 miles).

The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico’s capital more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out.

“The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily,” said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas.

Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure.

“There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy,” he said. “Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged.”

Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children’s hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant’s ventilator.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one meter (3.3 feet) above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center’s forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.

Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning.

Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage.

“We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don’t have details,” Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist in California who works with the U.S. Geological Survey, said such s quake was to be expected.

“Off the west coast of Mexico is what’s called the subduction zone, the Pacific Plate is moving under the Mexican peninsula,” she said. “It’s a very flat fault, so it’s a place that has big earthquakes relatively often because of that.”

“There’s likely to be a small tsunami going to the southwest. It’s not going to be coming up and affecting California or Hawaii,” she said. “For tsunami generation, an 8 is relatively small.”

Frank Griffiths in London contributed to this report. </s> Mexico City, Sep 8 (IANS) At 32 people were killed as Mexico was hit by the most powerful earthquake in a century that struck off the nation’s Pacific Coast late on Thursday, rattling millions of residents with its violent tremors and triggering a series of tsunami waves.

The quake hit offshore in the Pacific at 11.49 p.m. (0449 GMT), about 100 kilometres from the coastal town of Tonala, in far southern Chiapas state, Mexico’s seismologic service said. A tsunami warning was issued for Mexico, with three-metre-high waves possible, and other nearby countries.

The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico, but the rumblings rocked the Mexican capital more than 600 miles away, causing electricity failures, and reports of sporadic damage, the New York Times reported.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said the quake measured 8.2 and was the strongest earthquake Mexico has experienced in 100 years whereas the US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 8.1.

About 50 million people across the country felt the earthquake. The force sent residents of the megacity fleeing into the streets at midnight, shaken by the alarms blaring over loudspeakers and a full minute of tremors.

Windows broke, walls collapsed, and the city seemed to convulse in terrifying waves. The quake even rocked the city’s landmark Angel of Independence monument. The effects in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca were probably more severe.

Alejandro Murat, the Governor of Oaxaca, told the Televisa network that at least 23 people had died in the state, and local officials said residents were buried under the rubble of buildings.

Luis Manuel García Moreno, the secretary of civil defence for the state of Chiapas, said the toll there had risen to seven, and two children died in the state of Tabasco, one when a wall collapsed, the other after a respirator lost power in a hospital.

The effects were also felt in Guatemala, where at least one person died and homes along the border with Mexico were levelled. Many people sustained injuries in the 7.3 magnitude quake that hit the country just hours after the one in Mexico.

Schools in at least 10 Mexican states were ordered closed on Friday as the President ordered an immediate assessment of the damage nationwide. In the hours after the quake, the National Seismological Service registered several aftershocks.

“We are assessing the damage, which will probably take hours, if not days,” said Nieto, who addressed the nation just two hours after the quake. “But the population is safe over all. There should not be a major sense of panic.”

Mexico is situated near several boundaries where portions of the earth’s crust collide. The quake was more powerful than the one that killed nearly 10,000 people in 1985.

Mexican authorities alerted the coastal states of Oaxaca and Chiapas of the possibility of destructive waves of higher than 13 feet.

The US Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves were possible on the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras within three hours.

The quake comes a few days before the anniversary of the earthquake of September 19, 1985, that killed over 40,000 people in Mexico City.

At least 12 aftershocks with tremors measuring above 5.0 in magnitude and a fifth at 4.9 were recorded and some 23,000 people likely experienced the violent shaking, according to the US Geological Survey.
• None At dinner with Obama, Modi urges global unity against terror </s> One of the most powerful earthquakes ever to strike Mexico has killed at least 32 people, toppling houses and businesses and sending panicked people into the streets more than 650 miles away.

Oaxaca state governor Alejandro Murat told local media that at least 23 people in his state died, and civil defence officials said at least seven died in the state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, while two died in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake hit off southern Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border with a magnitude as 8.1 - equal in force to a 1985 quake that killed thousands and devastated large parts of Mexico City.

Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were damaged, power was cut to more than 1.8 million people and authorities closed schools in at least 11 states for safety checks.

The US Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.

The USGS said the quake struck at 11.49pm on Thursday and its epicentre was 102 miles west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 43.3 miles.

The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 650 miles away, and people still wearing nightclothes fled into the streets, gathering in frightened groups.

Chiapas governor Manuel Velasco said three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure.

"There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged."

Tabasco governor Arturo Nunez said two children died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said waves more than 3ft above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places.

The centre's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of 3ft. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.

Mexican authorities were evacuating some residents of coastal Tonala and Puerto Madero because of the warning.

The quake hit as emergency agencies were bracing for another crisis on the other side of the country. The US National Hurricane Centre said Hurricane Katia is likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early on Saturday as a category two storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage.

"We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Mr Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.

The quake occurred in a seismically active region near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American.

Mexico's National Seismological Service said the area has seen at least six other quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900 - though three of those occurred within a nerve-wracking nine-month span in 1902/03. </s> A major earthquake off Mexico's southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude as 8.1 and said it was centered off of Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border. But President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City.

Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.

Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them.

The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 43 miles.

The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 650 miles away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out.

"The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas.

Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure.

"There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged."

Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 3.3 feet above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.

Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning.

Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage.

"We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.

The quake occurred in a very seismically active region near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American.

Mexico's National Seismological Service said the area has seen at least six other quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900 — though three of those all occurred within a nerve-wracking nine-month span in 1902-1903.

Frank Griffiths in London contributed to this report </s> One of the most powerful earthquakes ever to strike Mexico has hit off its southern coast, killing at least 15 people, toppling houses and businesses and sending panicked people into the streets more than 650 miles (1,000 kilometers) away.The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit off Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border with a magnitude as 8.1 - equal in force to the 1985 quake that killed thousands and devastated large parts of Mexico City.Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. Buildings collapsed, power was cut at least briefly to more than 1 million people and authorities closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety."The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near the Chiapas state city of San Cristobal de las Casas.The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur.The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday (12:49 a.m. EDT ; 0449 GMT Friday) and its epicenter was 102 miles (165 kilometers) west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 43.3 miles (69.7 kilometers).The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 650 miles (1,000 kilometers) away. As beds banged against walls, people still wearing pajamas fled into the streets, gathering in frightened groups.Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure."There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged."Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one meter (3.3 feet) above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Tonala and Puerto Madero because of the warning.The quake hit as Mexican emergency agencies were bracing for another crisis on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage."We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.The quake occurred in a very seismically active region near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American.Mexico's National Seismological Service said the area has seen at least six other quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900 - though three of those all occurred within a nerve-wracking nine-month span in 1902-1903.
The death toll in the earthquake that struck the Chiapas region of Mexico rises to 90.