Magnitude-7.2 earthquake sparks panic in Mexico City

A powerful magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook central and southern Mexico on Friday, sending panicked people into the streets. Some walls cracked and fell, but there were no reports of major damage or casualties.A powerful earthquake struck Mexico on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital and sending people running out into the street, although there were no early reports of major damage. The magnitude 7.2 quake was centered in the south-western state of Guerrero, close to the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Some residents of the capital ran outdoors in their pajamas after the quake. Electricity was cut off in parts of the city and some residents said paintings fell off the walls and small parts of masonry crumbled inside apartment buildings. Luis Felipe Puente, head of the Mexican government's emergency services, said there were no immediate reports of damage and the US Pacific Warning Center said it did not expect the quake to trigger a destructive tsunami.A powerful earthquake has hit Mexico City, shaking buildings for at least 30 seconds and causing widespread panic. The magnitude-7.2 quake was registered at a depth of 24km (15 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. Its epicentre was in the western state of Guerrero, near the seaside resort of Acapulco There are no reports of casualties or significant damage, but frightened residents across the Mexican capital fled their homes as the tremor began. The earthquake was felt in several southern and western Mexican states at 09:27 local time (14:27 GMT).It met the definition of a major one, but the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck Friday in southern Mexico's Guerrero state didn't land the kind of punch that it might have. "There was no way not to feel it," Gustavo Lozano told CNN about the temblor, which struck at 9:27 a.m. (10:27 a.m. ET) and was centered 22 miles (36 kilometers) north-northwest of Tecpan. He was with his family at their home in Barra de Potosi, a fishing village nearly a three-hour drive northwest of Tecpan, when the earthquake hit. "It was extremely strong." Afraid of a possible tsunami, and unaware that no advisory had been issued for one, he and his family drove to a shelter at the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport, where dozens of other people also were gathering.