An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 strikes off the Pacific coast of Mexico, rattling buildings in the capital on Friday.
The epicenter of the quake was estimated offshore about 60 miles southwest of Pijijiapan, just north of the Mexico-Guatemala border. While the strong quake hit near the coast of Chiapas, Mexico, the National Weather Service tsunami alerts tweeted that a widespread tsunami waves possible to hit the coastal areas.
Both Mexico’s National Seismological Service and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put the preliminary magnitude of the earthquake at 8.0. However, there was no immediate word on damage or casualties Several powerful aftershocks also appeared to hit the area.
Mexico sits on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin which is prone to frequent and large earthquakes.
