An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico, killing at least six and generating a tsunami. The quake, which was felt as far as Mexico City and Guatemala City, struck 74 miles off the southern Pacific Coast at 12:49 a.m. ET Friday. The United States Geological Survey reported several aftershocks, most registering more than magnitude 5. Mexico’s civil protection agency reported this was the most powerful earthquake to hit the capital since a 1985 quake destroyed sections of Mexico City, killing thousands of people.

Initial waves were recorded at the Mexican cities of Salina Cruz, Puerto Madero, and Huatulco between 0.3 and 0.7 meters over tide level. They predicted waves between 0.3 and 1 meters for the Cook Islands, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guatemala, and Kiribati. Waves below 0.3 meters were forecast for countries as far as Australia, Japan, and Vietnam. This is the most recent in a wave of major natural disasters in that part of the world. Texas suffered the costliest natural disaster in US history when Hurrican Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast two weeks ago. The hurricane dumped a record 51.88 inches of rain, causing 38 deaths and $190 billion damage from the massive flooding. READ MORE

 


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