A powerful earthquake hit southeastern Mexico on Tuesday, February 12, 2008. The latest reports show that the magnitude of the quake was of 6.4 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of major damage.
The region that experienced the biggest shake was Oaxaca. The quake shook Mexico City’s buildings a bit and also rocked parts of Mexico’s southern Pacific and Gulf coasts. There were reports showing that in the southern city of Tuxtla Gutierrez people got out of their homes and buildings and ran into the streets fearing the eventual aftershocks.
“It was horrible,” said Cecilia Gomez, standing with her family outside her home. “It really scared me.”
Nine reports in Belize show that people felt slight tremors reported in Belize City, San Ignacio and even here in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye.
A report of the US Geological Survey shows the earth quake struck Mexico at 6:50 am (1250 GMT) 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Tonala, Chiapas state with an intensity of 6.4 on the moment magnitude scale.
“There were some people who had panic attacks in the southern state of Chiapas, but aside this there were no other casualties or damages,” said Daniel Roque who works for the local civil protection agency. The quake hit Mexico just three months after the country went through probably the worst floods in its history.
