A magnitude-6 earthquake shook the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas on Saturday, although there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the National Seismological Service, or SSN, said.
The temblor struck at 12:47 p.m. and its epicenter was located 85 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the town of Mapastepec at a depth of 16 kilometers (10 miles).
The quake, which was felt throughout the state, caused panic but there were no reports of casualties or structural damage, according to the SSN, which warned of aftershocks of lesser intensity.
In Mapastepec, a town of 60,000 inhabitants located 40 meters (130 feet) above sea level, people said they feared the quake would cause their homes to collapse.
Authorities said the temblor caused alarm and many people ran into the streets.
“All the buildings of more than two stories are being inspected ... and it seems for now that there’s no damage,” an emergency management official in the Chiapas highlands, Victor Amescua Vazquez, said.
The earthquake also was felt in the Mexican capital but no damage has been reported, the Federal District’s Public Safety Secretariat said in a statement.
