Major earthquake strikes Mexico

PanARMENIAN.Net - A major earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday, March 20, unleashing panic as it damaged hundreds of buildings and caused homes in the capital to bounce like "trampolines".

According to Reuters, office workers fled into the street when the 7.4-magnitude quake shook Mexico City for more than a minute. Cell phone lines went down, buildings were evacuated, traffic snarled and the stock exchange had to suspend trading early.

At least 11 people were injured, the Interior Ministry said.

The quake hit hardest in the southwestern state of Guerrero, where around 800 houses were damaged, officials said. The state governor Angel Aguirre said he had reports of homes being knocked down, though state authorities could not confirm this.

The tremor was one of the strongest to hit the country since the devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake of 1985, which killed thousands in Mexico City.

Mexico's interior ministry said the country would remain on high alert for the next 24 hours after 18 aftershocks to the quake were registered. Some were above magnitude 5.

Still, no deaths were reported on Tuesday and there were major disruptions to air travel or to oil installations. But it scared many residents and temporarily cut off electricity to 2.5 million users in the capital.