The USGS has upgraded possible impact of the earthquake to "violent" in the cities of Manuel Avila Camacho, El Palmarcito, La Esperanza, La Barra, and Margaritas. A red alert has been issued following the jolt.
The epicenter of the earthquake is at Pijijiapan, a town in Chiapas State of Mexico City. Earthquake warning sirens were sounded shortly through out Mexico City. Several people rushed out of their houses after they felt tremors. There were also reports of electric outages in several parts of the city. Warnings have been issued in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras, as they are expected to be severely affected.
ALSO READ: Mexico earthquake: At least 5 die in powerful 8.1-magnitude quake, small tsunami triggered
"Earthquake off Chiapas, Mexico. Felt it all the way here in Playa Del Carmen. Tsunami warning for southern Pacific coasts", said James R.D. Scott on Twitter.
Mexico is located on top of three large tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquakes. North America, South America, Nazca, and Cocos are the four major tectonic plates involved in causing this earthquake. It is predicted to be as massive as the 1995 and 1985 Mexico earthquakes. The earthquake has been felt as far as Austin, Texas.
However, bad-times for Mexico is not over, it seems. There is also a possibility of Katia, a Category 1 hurricane, hitting Mexico soon, says the National Hurricane Centre of Mexico. It is about 300 Km south-east of Tampico and has sustained winds of 140 km/hr.
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