Mexico: major earthquake, two aftershocks hit Pacific coast

A major 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck 120 miles (193 km) east of Acapulco on Mexico's Pacific coast, the US Geological Survey said today.

The USGS located the epicenter of the quake at 15 miles (525 km) east of Ometepec in Guerrero state at a depth of 10.9 miles (18 km).

Witnesses told the BuenosAiresHerald.com in Mexico City people ran to the streets after the earthquake struck adding at least two aftershocks hit the city after the main earthquake.

President Felipe Calderón stated that there was no severe damage reported yet.

Nevertheless, some 500 houses were damaged, and some collapsed, in the southern state of Guerrero, the state governor said, but local emergency officials reported no deaths.

"We're talking about more than 500 homes that collapsed, were damaged, and some came down," Guerrero state governor Angel Aguirre said.

Phone lines and the websites of Mexico’s main newspapers collapsed. Nonetheless, local newspapers were able to keep their twitter accounts running with updated information.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the inland earthquake would not generate a destructive widespread tsunami, but there was the possibility of some local tsunami effects.

No damage was reported in Oaxaca, near where the quake hit, according to local television.

Earlier it had been reported at 7.9 magnitude and initially as 7.6 magnitude.