[BREAKING NEWS] Mexico City shaken by strong quake

A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City.

“I’m so worried. I can’t stop crying. It’s the same nightmare as in 1985,” one resident in a plaza in the capital, Georgina Sanchez, 52, sobbed to AFP.

The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico’s Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale.

The institute said the quake’s epicenter was seven kilometers (four miles) west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla.

Tuesday’s quake occurred hours after authorities had conducted an earthquake drill.

City residents posted photos online of damage to buildings in their neighborhoods.

Emergency officials warned people not to smoke in the street, warning of possible ruptured gas pipes.

Alfredo Aguilar, a 43-year-old resident, said the quake was “really strong — buildings started to move.”

He added that he saw a woman who fainted. “People started to run.” (AFP)