Death toll rises to 60 in powerful earthquake off Mexico's coast

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico struck off the country's southern coast, toppling hundreds of buildings and sending panicked people fleeing into the streets. At least 60 people are reported dead. The quake that hit minutes before midnight Thursday was strong enough to cause buildings to sway violently in the capital city more than one thousand kilometers away. 

The furious shaking created a second national emergency for Mexican agencies already bracing for Hurricane Katia on the other side of the country. The system is expected to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz today as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

The head of Mexico's civil defense agency confirmed the deaths of 45 people in the southern state of Oaxaca. Another 12 people died in Chiapas and three more in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.The worst-hit city appeared to be Juchitan, on the narrow waist of Oaxaca known as the Isthmus. About half of



the city hall collapsed in a pile of rubble and streets are littered with the debris of ruined houses.

Mexico's capital escaped major damage, but the quake terrified sleeping residents, many of whom still remember the catastrophic 1985 earthquake that killed thousands and devastated large parts of the city.

Elsewhere, the extent of destruction is still emerging. Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were damaged, power was cut at least briefly to more than 1.8 million people and authorities closed schools in at least 11 states to check them for safety.

The quake triggered tsunami warnings and some tall waves, but there is no major damage from the sea. Authorities briefly evacuated a few residents of coastal Tonala and Puerto Madero because of the warning.

In neighbouring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales appeared on national television to call for calm while emergency crews surveyed damage.