Strong Mexico Quake Rocks Mexico City and Acapulco (VIDEO)
A strong earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday evening from Mexico City down to the Pacific resort town Acapulco.
According to Mexican officials, at least three people died in the quake, but no major damage was reported in the magnitude-6.5 earthquake.
The earthquake occurred about 100 miles south-southwest of Mexico City and the city’s mayor said via Twitter that although no major damage had been reported, power outages occurred throughout the city.
One person was killed as a rock fell onto a mini van on an Acapulco highway and another person was killed as the result of a collapsing roof in the small city of Iguala.
6.5 Earthquake in MexicoThe earthquake was felt in nine states in the surrounding region, according to Mexico’s Interior Department, and around 50 homes sustained damages.
“I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end,” Laura Gonzalez told Reuters.
Gonzalez was in a bar when the tremor began and many startled residents took to the streets when the earthquake occurred.
Local residents said that the quake seemed to have lasted for an unusually long period of time and reports in the region suggested that the trembler lasted for around 40 seconds.
The intensity of the earthquake could have caused major damage, but fortunately the depth of the quake was minor, lessening its impact.
Mexico was recently shaken by a number of similar sized quakes this past November. Damage was also reported to have been minimal.
Researchers have said that 2011 has been a year defined by extreme weather patterns.
In the United States, 12 weather-related disasters occurred throughout 2011, resulting in more than $52 billion in damages according to some estimates.
Some of the most notable disasters included Hurricane Irene, wildfires across New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, and flooding of the Mississippi River.
Click below to view a video of the earthquake.
