76 magnitude earthquake strikes near Acapulco Mexico

A strong, long 7.6 earthquake with an epicenter in Guerrero state shook central southern Mexico on Tuesday, swaying buildings in Mexico City and sending frightened workers and residents into the streets. The U.S. Geological Survey set the intensity at 7.6 at a depth of 11 miles underground. Mexico's National Seismological Survey said the temblor had an epicenter southwest of Ometepec. The quake was located 120 miles east of Acapulco. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's Twitter account said the water system and other "strategic services" were not experiencing problems. "I have problems with pressure, I felt I was going to faint," said Rosa Maria Lopez Velazquez, 62, outside a mall in Mexico City. Cell phone lines were down and traffic snarled in the capital moments after the quake. "I swear I never felt one so strong, I thought the building was going to collapse,'' said Sebastian Herrera, 42, a businessman from a neighborhood hit hard in Mexico's devastating 1985 earthquake, which killed thousands. A person at Acapulco City Hall told NBC News that they felt the quake but had no immediate reports of injuries or damages. President Felipe Calderon said on Tuesday, via his Twitter account, that there was no serious damage reported. No damage was reported in Oaxaca, near where the quake hit, according to local television. The front desk at the Hotel Real Oaxaca told NBC that the temblor scared residents but there was no damage. A worker at Rica Pizza in Ometepec said there was no damage to his business but he heard of damage to some other buildings in the area. They do not have electricity at his location-- nor do many of his business neighbors. His phone is working -- though there are some businesses without phones. He also said he had heard lots of ambulance sirens but doesn't have any specifics on injuries. The quake was followed by several aftershocks, he said. "It was very strong, but we didn't see anything fall," said Irma Ortiz, who runs a guesthouse in Oaxaca. She said their telephones are down, and that the quake shook them side-to-side. A U.S. State Department official told NBC that were no injuries to the staff at the embassy in Mexico City, but the building does have some minor damange. Earlier the quake had been reported at 7.9 magnitude. No tsunami was expected.

• 2012-03-20T19:03:55+00:00
• Duration: 02:46

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