2LT International News

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – A powerful 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico on Thursday, forcing people from several buildings to evacuate and take shelter.

According to reports, workers at some Mexico City office towers temporarily evacuated their buildings.

The quake reportedly hit 5.6 miles (9km) north-west of Huajuapan de Leon, a city in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and aftershocks were also felt in Mexico City.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake struck at a depth of 34 miles (55 kilometres).

Officials said that there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage following the quake.

However, the quake is said to have triggered the seismic alarm in the capital, Mexico City.

In central Mexico City’s Roma neighbourhood, some locals rushed out of their houses terrified and many were seen standing outside their houses, barefoot, or in pyjamas.

According to the Federal Civil Defense Agency no specific incidents related to the quake were reported.

The recent quake became the latest in a series of powerful earthquakes that have struck the country in recent months.

On June 30, the Pacific coast of Mexico was jolted by a massive 6.1 magnitude earthquake, causing tremors that were felt in many parts of the country.

Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates – on the Ring of Fire, which is a series of fragile fault lines that stretches from New Zealand, across the east coast of Asia, over to Canada and the U.S. then down to the southern tip of South America.

This makes the region prone to earthquakes.

Previously, Mexico suffered two devastating earthquakes in September 2017, with the first one leaving over 300 people dead on September 19, a week after the nation was hit by an 8.1 mega quake.

Then, in February this year, an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast but there were no reports of casualties.