MEXICO CITY, 8 September (BelTA - Xinhua) - At least 30 people have been killed in an 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off Mexico's Pacific coast on Friday, Oaxaca state governor Alejandro Murat told the media.
The epicenter of the quake is 96 km southwest of the town of Pijijiapan in Chiapas, at a depth of 33 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The shock was also felt in the capital of Mexico City, where many people ran out of buildings onto the streets.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said the national emergency-response system has been activated and instructions have been issued to local governments to undertake monitoring and rescue operations.
The earthquake is the strongest in Mexico since 1985 when a magnitude-8.0 quake hit Mexico City that killed thousands of people and destroyed large parts of the capital.
