Earthquake hits Mexico, kills 6

 At least six people have died as an earthquake measuring 8.2 struck off the southern coast of Mexico.

The quake which measured about 87km (54 miles) south-west of Pijijiapan has been described by Mexico’s president Enrique Peña Nieto as the country’s strongest in a century.

Reports say one person also died in neighbouring Guatemala.

A tsunami warning was issued for the country, with three-metre-high waves possible, and other nearby countries.

The quake, which struck at 23:50 local time on Thursday (04:50 GMT Friday), was felt in Mexico City, with buildings swaying and people running into the street.

The tremors there, about 1,000km from the epicentre, were reported to have lasted up to a minute.

President Peña Nieto said some 50 million Mexicans would have felt the tremor and that the death toll might rise.

Four deaths were reported in Mexico’s Chiapas state, near the epicentre.

Two children were killed in Tabasco state, one a baby who died when power was cut to a respirator.

Severe damage was reported in southern Mexico and in western Guatemala.

Social media images showed collapsed buildings in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, including in the city of the same name and in Juchitan, where the municipal palace and a number of other structures were levelled.

Local reports speak of a hospital in Juchitan also collapsing and say there are a number of deaths in the city.