7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Mexico
A 7.4 earthquake shook central and southern parts of Mexico Tuesday morning.
The quake struck shortly after 11 a.m. just east of Acapulco, sending frightened residents to the streets and leaving buildings swaying over 100 miles away in Mexico City.
The initial earthquake was followed by a magnitude-5.1 aftershock quake, which was also felt in the capital. More than 60 homes were damaged near the epicenter in Ometepec in the southern state of Guerrero. Other aftershocks were felt within the borders of the Oaxaca and Guerrero states.
Mexican president Enrique Calderon announced Tuesday that there were no reports of severe, major damage after the quake: however, a pedestrian bridge collapsed, crushing a microbus in Mexico City. There are no reported deaths.
"I have problems with pressure, I felt I was going to faint," said Rosa Maria Lopez Velazquez, 62, outside a mall in Mexico City.
Telephone service was down throughout the area where the quake was felt, but there have been no immediate reports of major damages or injuries.
According to the Mexico's National Seismological Survey, the quake's epicenter was southwest of Ometepec and was felt strongly in the city of Oaxaca.
President Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, was reported safe after the quake. She is on vacation with a school group in Oaxaca.
Mexico City's airport was temporarily closed despite the fact that there was no damage to runways. Operations returned to normally shortly after.
According to LAX officials, there were no reports of any flight delays in Los Angeles due to the earthquake that struck near Acapulco. There are no airlines at LAX that offer direct service to the city, but there are three airlines that offer five connecting flights.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
