Police officers inspect the rest of a minibus of public transportation on which a section of a bridge fell down after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake Richter scale at Mexico City, capital of Mexico on March 20, 2012. The U.S. Geological Survey report that a 7.6 of magnitude earthquake hit on Oaxaca, Mexico. (Photo: Xinhua)
Strong tremors were felt in Mexico City and prompted panicked residents to flee from shaking buildings on Tuesday as a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted Mexico's Pacific coast.
The quake, which struck at 12:02 local time (18:02 GMT) on Tuesday, had a depth of 17.50 km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter was located 193 kilometers east of the famous Mexican tourist resort of Acapulco on the Pacific coast in Guerrero state, the USGS said.
Buildings in the Mexico City swayed amid strong tremors and residents ran out of their homes into the streets.
Residents told Xinhua that buildings in the populous central residential area of Condesa in Mexico city shook for several minutes.
"This was terrifying, it was without doubt the strongest earthquake I have ever experienced here," a terrified resident told Xinhua on the street after fleeing from a building.
It was not immediately known if the quake has caused any severe damage or injuries. Shortly after the tremor stopped, ambulance sirens were heard in many parts of the Mexican capital which is home to some 20 million people.
"There was earth and smoke coming from below the ground, even the tallest of the buildings in Reforma Avenue were swaying wildly from side to side and windows were crashing around us," said Maria Gonzalez, a worker who was at the city' financial district next to the Mexican Stock Exchange when the quake happened.
"The whole ground started moving below me where I was walking, people were terrified. This felt as strong as in 1985," said Gonzalez, referring to the 8.0-magnitude quake which killed over 10,000 people in Mexico in 1985 and left the capital in ruins.
Mobile telephone networks crashed and power outlets were cut in several parts of the city, but internet services was reported to be working.
Workers inspect the damaged rail tracks of the subway caused by an 7.6 magnitude earthquake at Mexico City, capital of Mexico on March 20, 2012. Damaged in the structures and the tracks caused by the earthquake without victims have been reported by the authorities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that an 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Oaxaca on Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday. (Photo: Xinhua)
