Earthquake: Tsunami alert as magnitude 8.1 tremor shakes buildings in Mexico

A very powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Mexico, shaking buildings in the capital and sparking tsunami warnings.

The USGS said a magnitude 8.1 quake struck  123 km (76 miles) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan, at a depth of 33 km (21 miles).

Widespread, hazardous tsunami waves were possible, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

“Tsunami waves reaching more than three meters above the tide level are possible along the coasts of Mexico,” it said, with lower waves in other countries.

Civil protection officials were checking for damage in Chiapas, but the quake was so powerful that frightened residents in Mexico City more than 650 miles away fled apartment buildings, often in their pajamas, and gathered in groups in the street.

Around midnight buildings swayed strongly for more than minute, loosening light fixtures from ceilings. Helicopters crisscrossed the sky above Mexico City with spotlights. Some neighborhoods kept electricity while others remained in darkness.

The death toll in Mexico has risen to at least five people, including two children in Tabasco state.

Tabasco Governor Arturo Nunez said that one of the children died when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children’s hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the supply to the infant’s ventilator.

The other three deaths were in Chiapas state, in San Cristobal de las Casas.

The governor of Chiapas says that at least three people have been killed in his region.

Gov. Manuel Velasco told Milenio TV that the deaths occurred in San Cristobal de las Casas.

He also said that the quake damaged hospitals and schools:

“There are damages in hospitals that have lost energy. Homes, schools and hospitals have been affected.”