Strong earthquake hits east of Acapulco, Mexico, ‘people are worried’

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rattled the southwest region of Mexico late Tuesday prompting local leaders to appeal for calm in communities impacted.

Social media images showed buildings swaying and people standing outside their homes trying to keep their balance during an apparent aftershock.

“There are nervous breakdowns, people are worried because there have been aftershocks,” Adela Roman, the mayor of Acapulco, told television news outlet Milenio. She said there are “many gas leaks in many places” as well as some landslides and fallen walls. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the quake, he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 10 miles northeast of Roman’s city. The quake was so powerful, it caused buildings to rock and sway in Mexico City, nearly 200 miles away. The ground shook for nearly a minute in some parts of the capital and some people evacuated their buildings.

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Mexico City authorities added there were no early reports of significant damage in the city, though they said electricity was knocked out in some neighborhoods.

The Associated Press contributed to this report