Earthquake hits southern coast of Mexico, triggers tsunami

Updated 2:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 9: The death toll from an 8.1-magnitude earthquake that stuck Mexico earlier this week has risen to 64, according to The Associated Press.

Officials in the state of Chiapas told the news wire that 15 people died there as a result of Thursday night’s quake. Forty-five others were reported dead in Oaxaca while four others were killed in Tabasco.

Update 4:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 8

According to the AP, the death toll in the wake of an earthquake of the coast of southern Mexico Friday has risen to 58.

Update 2:49 p.m. EDT Sept. 8: 

The Associated Press reported that the death toll from an earthquake off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday has risen to at least 35.

Update 10:57 a.m. EDT Sept. 8: The Associated Press reported that the death toll from an earthquake off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday has risen to at least 32.

The news wire reported that at least 23 people were killed in Oaxaca, citing state Gov. Alejandro Murat. At least seven people died in the state of Chiapas and two others died in the state of Tabasco, the AP reported.

Original report: An earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale hit off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, killing at least 15 people and triggering a tsunami, CNN reported. The Associated Press reported that five people were killed, including two children in Tabasco state.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which occurred near the border between Mexico and Guatemala, was felt as far as Mexico City and Guatemala City. It struck off the Pacific coast, 74 miles southwest of Tres Picos, Mexico, which is 600 miles southeast of Mexico City, CNN reported.

A tsunami has been confirmed in Mexico, CNN reported, with one wave coming in at 2.3 feet, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's verified account.

The USGS has reported multiple aftershocks, including four with tremors measuring above 5.0 in magnitude.

The main quake had a depth of 69.7 kilometers, according to the USGS. It was a particularly shallow quake, according to USGS geophysicist Jana Pursely.

"The shaking along the coast of Chiapas at this point is estimated to be very strong to severe," Pursely told CNN. "I would expect damage along the coast of Chiapas."

Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco told Foro TV that there have been reports of damage, including hospitals that have lost power and buildings with collapsed roofs, CNN reported. Schools will be canceled Friday, he said.

Authorities said they were evacuating residents in Puerto Madero in Chiapas as a precaution due to the tsunami alert, the AP reported.

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