Powerful earthquake kills at least 61 in Mexico

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico struck off the country's southern coast late Thursday, topplingbuildings, triggering tsunami evacuations and sending panicked people fleeing into the streets in the middle of the night. At least 61were reported killed.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake hit off Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border with a magnitude of 8.1.

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"The house moved like chewing gum, and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near the Chiapas state city of San Cristobal de las Casas.

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

President Enrique Pena Nieto said Friday evening in a televisedaddress that 61 people were killed 45 in Oaxaca state, 12 inChiapas and four in Tabasco and he declared three days of nationalmourning.

The worst-hit city appeared to be Juchitan, on the narrow waistof Oaxaca known as the Isthmus. About half of the city hallcollapsed in a pile of rubbleand streets were littered with thedebris of ruined houses.

Pena Nieto toured the area, where he met withresidents amid the debris of crumbled buildings.

"The priority in Juchitan is re-establishing supply of water andfood, as well as medical attention for those affected," Pena Nietosaid via Twitter.

Tabasco Gov.ArturoNunezsaid two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed whena wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator.

ChiapasGov.ManuelVelasco called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure.

"There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged."

The Interior Department reported that 428 homes were destroyedand 1,700 were damaged in various cities and towns inChiapas.

Hurricane Katia on the way

The furious shaking created a second national emergency forMexican agencies already bracing for Hurricane Katia on the otherside of the country.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz late Friday or early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods.

It said Katiahad maximum sustained winds of165 km/hand waslocated about210 kilometressoutheast of the city ofTampicoin the evening.

In Veracruz, tourists abandoned coastal hotels as windand rainpicked up ahead of Katia's expected landfall. Workers setup emergency shelters and cleared storm drains, and forecasterswarned that the storm threatened to bring torrential rainfall, highwinds and a dangerous storm surge off the Gulf of Mexico.

"The arrival of #Katia may be particularly dangerous forslopes affected by the earthquake. Avoid these areas," Pena Nietotweeted.

Repeated aftershocks

TheU.S. Geological Surveysaid the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. local time Thursday and its epicentre was 165 kilometres west of TapachulainChiapas. It had a depth of 69.7 kilometres.

Dozens of strong aftershocks rattled the region in the followinghours.

The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 1,000 kilometres away.Mexico Cityescaped major damage, but the quake terrifiedsleeping residents, many of whom still remember thecatastrophic1985 earthquake that killed thousands and devastatedlarge parts ofthe city.

A shrill seismic alarm sounded and as beds banged against walls, people still wearing pyjamas fled into the streets, gathering in frightened groups.

Metre-high waves

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one metre above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The centre's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of up to a metre. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific.

Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Tonala and Puerto Madero because of the warning.

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

"We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico.

The quake occurred in a very seismically active region near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American.

Mexico's National Seismological Service said the area has seen at least six other quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900 though three of those all occurred within a nerve-wracking nine-month span in 1902-1903.

The new quake matched the force of a magnitude 8.1 quake that hit the country on June 3, 1932, roughly 500 kilometreswest of Mexico City.

A study by Mexico's National Seismological Service said that quake is believed to have killed about 400 people, causing severe damage around the port of Manzanillo. A powerful aftershock that hit 19 days later caused a tsunami that devastated 25 kilometresof coastline, killing 75 people.