The strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in a century hit off the country’s Pacific coast late Thursday, causing massive tremors that rocked cities and leveled buildings.
The quake registered at magnitude 8.2 and was felt by an estimated 50 million people. It wreaked havoc in Mexico City, setting off alarms, shattering windows, disorienting residents, and cracking and flattening buildings, according to NYT.
A compilation of shots from inside trembling buildings was tweeted out by Steve Rudin of ABC News.
Utility pole transformers and lines sparked, showering the sidewalk and street in sparks.
The earthquake resulted in at least 58 deaths, however, the final death count and damage costs are difficult to calculate because many areas hit are isolated, The Washington Post reports.
“We are assessing the damage, which will probably take hours, if not days,” Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said hours after the disaster according to NYT. “But the population is safe over all. There should not be a major sense of panic.”
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