Deadly 6.5 earthquake strikes north of Acapulco

Earthquake in Mexico

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the region north of Acapulco on Saturday night, and people in Mexico City fled into the streets.

The epicenter was about 82 miles north of Acapulco in the southwestern state of Guerrero and about 40 miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake was intially reported as a 6.8 but downgraded to 6.5.

Telemundo reported that at least two people were killed..

In Acapulco, hundreds of anxious tourists congregated in the streets after fleeing rocking buildings. Authorities said they had found no structural damage and had no reports of injuries in the Pacific resort.

Buildings in Mexico City, about 100 miles northeast of the epicenter, swayed during the quake, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there.

People in one part of the capital's upscale Condesa neighborhood ran out of their houses and gathered in the streets, hugging each other while some shook and began to cry. On one street, a group of women joined hands in a circle, closed their eyes and began to pray.

"Please God, help us and let everything be OK," said one. "It's OK. It's OK. Everything is OK."

Reuters reporters in Mexico City said the earthquake seemed to go on for an unusually long period.

"I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end," said Laura Gonzalez, who was drinking in a bar in the capital when the quake struck.

Power was knocked out in parts of the capital, but Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said water services, the subway and the airport were working normally.

Parts of Mexico City rest on the shaky soil of a former lake bed, which tends to magnify the effect of earthquakes. An 8.1-magnitude quake in 1985 killed as many as 10,000 people in the city.

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Jova leaves floodwater in its wake

Manzanillo, Mexico (CNN) -- Floodwater left behind when Jova thrashed Mexico's Pacific coast began to recede Wednesday, but cleanup had just begun.

Some residents remained on rooftops in Manzanillo, one of the hardest hit areas. At least 1,400 people were in shelters, police said.

City officials said no deaths or injuries had been reported. A 21-year-old woman and a young girl were killed in a mudslide caused by the storm in the neighboring state of Jalisco, the state-run Notimex news agency said.
In Manzanillo, a small stream turned into a raging river and on several main roads, water was at least a meter deep. Military blockades stopped cars from driving down impassable roads.

"The roads are all flooded. Bridges are about to fall down. Cars can't get through anywhere. People's homes are destroyed," Manzanillo resident Seth Berkowitz said. "What came through here has really been a terrible disaster for everybody."

Jova struck Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, packing winds of more than 100 miles per hour. It weakened into a tropical storm and then a tropical depression as it moved over western Mexico Wednesday, but heavy rainfall continued.

Floodwaters rushed into many homes in low-lying areas of Manzanillo.
Resident Roberto Robles lost most of his furniture and spent Wednesday dealing with massive amounts of mud inside his home.

"We were really afraid, especially for the children, who still don't understand what a hurricane is," he said.
Javier Velasquez said mud ruined his refrigerator when his kitchen filled with water in the early morning hours.
"Only God knows why something like this happens," he said. "They had warned us, but we thought they were crying wolf."

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