A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled Mexico on Friday, left nearly a million homes and businesses without power in the capital and south but the only reported deaths came when a military chopper crashed after surveying the aftermath.
At least 50 homes suffered damage in the southern state of Oaxaca, which, along with Mexico City, is still reeling from earthquakes that caused widespread damage in September, says a Reuters report.
The epicentre was about 90 miles (145 km) from Pacific coast surfer resort Puerto Escondido in the southern state of Oaxaca and had a depth of 15.3 miles (24.6 km), according to the US Geological Survey.
A helicopter carrying Mexico’s interior minister and the governor of Oaxaca crashed while trying to land after a tour of damage from the earthquake, killing at least two people. The officials said the seniors survived.
The powerful, sustained shaking on Friday gave way to 225 aftershocks, the national seismology service said, and caused widespread panic.
In Mexico City, the seismic alarm sounded 72 seconds before tremors were felt, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said, giving residents time to flee to the streets.