MEXICO CITY_A magnitude 8.0 earthquake has occurred off the southern Mexican coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible within the next three hours on some coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and Ecuador.
The earthquake ruptured at 9:49 p.m. Pacific time Thursday and was felt in the Chiapas area, Guatemala and El Salvador. "There may be some damage closer to the epicenter, but it's pretty far away from the mainland," said USGS geophysicist Jessica Turner.
A tsunami is not expected for California. Widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible within the next three hours on some coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and Ecuador.
Earthquake warning sirens sounded shortly before midnight across Mexico City. Moments later, buildings began swaying. In La Condesa, a neighborhood in the central part of the city, residents fled homes and took cover in the streets, many barefoot and dressed pajamas. The sky lit up as electrical transformers exploded. There were reports of electric outages in some parts of the city.
