A powerful earthquake has shaken buildings in Mexico City and placed the coastal area near Acapulco on alert for a tsunami.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said a 7.0 magnitude quake struck 11 miles (18km) north-east of the resort of Acapulco, Guerrero, in south-west Mexico, sending people running into the street for safety.

The quake shook the hillsides around Acapulco, downing trees and pitching large boulders onto the road, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The USGS said the quake in the early hours of Wednesday was very shallow at only 7.8 miles (12.5km) below the surface.

The US tsunami warning center said hazardous waves were possible within 185miles (300km) of the quake site.

In Mexico City, 230 miles (375km) away, buildings wobbled but the capital’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said there were no immediate reports of serious damage.

In the Roma Sur neighborhood of Mexico City, lights went off and scared residents rushed out, some wearing little more than pajamas, a Reuters witness said. Residents huddled together in the rain, holding young children or pets, too worried to return to their homes in the dark.

“It was terrible. It really reminds me of the 1985 quake every time something like this happens,” said Yesmin Rizk, a 70-year-old Roma Sur resident.

With Reuters

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