The earthquake forced the inhabitants of capital Mexico City to leave their homes. Photo / Shadab Javed via X
The earthquake forced the inhabitants of capital Mexico City to leave their homes. Photo / Shadab Javed via X
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico Saturday night, setting off alarms as far away as Mexico City, but without immediate reports of damage.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred shortly after 11pm local time (6pm NZ time) near the town of Matias Romero in the southern state ofOaxaca. It was at a depth of 108km.
Strong shaking was felt in Oaxaca’s capital. At a packed amphitheatre, the band stopped performing and was ushered off the stage, but the crowd appeared to remain calm.
Oaxaca governor Salomon Jara Cruz urged calm via the social media platform X and said that state officials were checking for impacts from the earthquake across the state.
Hace unos minutos ocurrió un sismo con epicentro en el municipio de Matías Romero. Se han activado los protocolos de protección civil y nuestro personal está revisando las posibles afectaciones en todo el estado. Les pedimos mantener la calma y estar alertas a las indicaciones a…
In the neighbouring state of Veracruz, the civil defence agency said the earthquake was felt in areas but that there were no initial reports of damage or injuries.
The temblor triggered seismic alarms in Mexico City, driving residents into the streets, but in most areas shaking was not felt.