WFMY2 /CBS news
written by Staff
Sunday December 11, 2011
Guerrero, Mexico -- A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least one person, knocking out lights in parts of the capital and sending people rushing into the streets.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Mexico City but emergency services said one person was killed when a house collapsed in Iguala, a small city between the capital and the tourist resort of Acapulco.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Acapulco, many of them tourists staying in hotels when the earthquake occurred.
"I was taking a shower and the doors started to rattle. I grabbed a towel and I had to get out running on the emergency stairs," said one unidentified tourists wrapped in his towel.
"I was in my room taking off my shoes," said another unidentified tourist. "I put on my sandals and I felt the jolt and I saw the lamps moving and I screamed to my brothers that it was an earthquake. I left with my parents down the stairs."
A severe earthquake in 1985 killed thousands of people and wrecked parts of Mexico City, and many residents live with the fear of a repeat.
"It was horrible because it got us in the metro and we did not know what was happening," said Jessica Morales clearly shaken after leaving Mexico City's subway. "We we felt it we were getting off and we put ourselves against a wall.
The epicenter of the quake was in the southwestern state of Guerrero and was 40 miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It was felt in other states including Michoacan, Puebla and Hidalgo, local media reported.
Power was knocked out in many districts of the capital but Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard said water services, the subway and the airport were working normally.
"Fortunately, we have no damages to report," said Dr. Elias Moreno, Mexico City's Director of Civil Protection Services emergency services spokesperson said in Mexico City.
Milenio newspaper reported that one building had been evacuated southwest of Mexico City's historic center. A source from phone operator Telcel said services went out
briefly in some sections of the city as the mobile network was overloaded with people trying to call family and friends.
State oil monopoly Pemex, which has few installations on the Pacific coast, said there were no reports of damage.
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