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In photos: Mexico hit with magnitude 8.4 quake; strongest in 100 years

Catch Photodesk | Updated on: 9 September 2017, 14:08 IST
A couple embraces on September 8, 2017 in Juchitan de Zaragoza, state of Oaxaca, where buildings collapsed after an 8.2 earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast overnight. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP)

At least 61 people have died and hundreds injured in a massive earthquake that hit the southern coast of Mexico in the early hours of  Friday, 8 September. With a magnitude of 8.4, the Chiapas earthquake is the strongest earthquake to have hit Mexico in over a hundred years.

The epicentre was located in the Pacific Ocean, and the worst affected regions are Chiapas and Oaxaca. Tremors were felt as far as Mexico City in the North and Guatemala City and San Salvador in the South-East region.

According to the US Geological Survey, a number of aftershocks have been reported, including six that measured above 5.0 in magnitude. Moreover, a tsunami measuring 3 feet has also been reported to have struck the coast

While the Mexican authorities have already begun rescue and aid efforts, the destruction caused by the earthquake has left scores of buildings razed to the ground. Additionally, hundreds of people have reportedly lost electricity as normal life has come to a halt in Southern Mexico.

In a tweet by President Enrique Peña Nieto, the premier offered timely condolences to all the families who have lost their lives in the earthquake thus far. Moreover, the mayor of Juchitan, a district in Oaxaca, Gloria Sanchez, released an official statement saying that “the situation is Juchitan is critical; this is the most terrible moment in its history.”

View of the Town Hall building partially collapsed following an 8.2 earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast, in Juchitan de Zaragoza, state of Oaxaca in Mexico. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
A biker rides in front of a house damaged by the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast, in Juchitan de Zaragoza, state of Oaxaca in Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP)
Mourners cry during the funeral of 85-year-old Casimiro Rey, one of the victims of an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast overnight. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP)
Mexican soldiers walk amid debris of the Town Hall building which partially collapsed following an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast, in Juchitan de Zaragoza, state of Oaxaca, Mexico. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a tour of Juchitan following an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast, in Juchitan, state of Oaxaca, Mexico. (HO / PRESIDENCIA / AFP)
First published: 9 September 2017, 14:05 IST