Strong quake rattles Mexico

MEXICO CITY: A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico’s capital and Pacific coast Friday, shaking buildings, shattering windows and prompting people to rush into the street as power went out. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake’s epicenter was 36 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of Tecpan, near the Pacific resort of Acapulco in southwestern Guerrero state, according to a news agency.
The quake, which it initially rated as a 7.5-magnitude, struck at a depth of 24 kilometers.
Mexico’s National Seismology Service measured the quake at 7.0.
Tourists in Acapulco for Holy Week streamed out of hotels. Buildings were also evacuated in Mexico City as helicopters buzzed overhead to check for damage.
“Fortunately, what we have are collapsed walls and no reports of deaths or injuries,” said federal civil protection director general Ricardo de la Cruz.
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said on Twitter that authorities were checking the sprawling capital for damage.
“For now we are only seeing evacuations,” Mancera said.
Victor Espindola, an expert at the National Seismology Service, said a tsunami was unlikely to occur following the earthquake.
Mexico City, a metropolis of 20 million people, is sensitive to distant earthquakes because it was built over soft soil from a drained lake.
In 1985, thousands of people were killed in Mexico City when buildings collapsed after an 8.1-magnitude struck the Pacific coast.