Mexico Earthquake: Death toll Rises to 15, Residents Evacuated

Local Editor

According to the head of the country's Disaster Management Agency, the death toll from an 8.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico had reached 15.

"The death toll is 15 in all... based on the figures from each state," Ricardo de la Cruz, head of the Disaster Management Agency, told Milenio TV after the quake, the most powerful to hit Mexico in a century.

The quake, which hit about 75 miles southwest of the town of Tres Picos in the southern state of Chiapas, was registered in local calculations as having a magnitude of 8.2, making it the largest to hit Mexico in 100 years.

Authorities said residents in Puerto Madero in Chiapas evacuated as precaution due to tsunami alert.

Mexico's president said that the 8.2-magnitude earthquake is the biggest the country has seen in a century.

Enrique Pena Nieto had confirmed earlier that at least five people have died in the temblor. He also said that major damage has been caused and that 1 million initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800 000 of them.

He said that there have been 62 aftershocks and it's possible one as strong as 7.2 could hit.

Pena Nieto said the state of Chiapas declared a state of emergency, adding that the government is keeping an eye on neighboring municipalities affected by the quake, local media report.

The US Geological Survey reported the quake's magnitude at 8.1.

Waves of more than 3.3 feet [1 meter] were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico, following the quake, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Smaller waves were observed in several other locations.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team