Strong quake shakes Mexico, leaves one dead

A strong earthquake jolted Mexico on Thursday, leaving one person dead as people rushed out into the streets of the capital in the middle of the night, days after another powerful tremor.

A woman died in Mexico City after falling down some stairs and hitting her head when the quake triggered early warning alarms, authorities said.

The epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude quake was near the Pacific coast, 84 kilometers (52 miles) south of Coalcoman in the western state of Michoacan, the national seismological agency reported.

The US Geological Survey estimated the magnitude at 6.8.

Michoacan had been hit by a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Monday that left two people dead, damaged several thousand buildings and sparked panic more than 400 kilometers away in Mexico City.

The latest quake again triggered alarms in the capital shortly after 1:00 am (0600 GMT) and caused buildings to shake and sway.

Many people quickly evacuated their homes when the alarms sounded, some still dressed in pajamas and carrying their pet dogs.

“We had a 6.9 magnitude aftershock with an epicenter in Coalcoman,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Twitter.

“It was felt in Michoacan (and the other states of) Colima, Jalisco, Guerrero and Mexico City. So far there are no reports of damage,” he added.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said official helicopters had flown over the city and that there were no initial reports of destruction.

“So far there is no damage in the city after the earthquake,” she tweeted.

The quake hit at a depth of 12 kilometers, according to the national seismological agency, while USGS estimated the depth at 24 kilometers, located about 410 kilometers from Mexico City.