Earthquake With Magnitude Of 8.0 Rattles Southern Mexico

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 rattled southern Mexico on Thursday night, the USGS reported.

The quake occurred about 9:50 p.m. (PST) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico along the border of Guatemala.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake's epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state. It had a depth of 35 kilometers.

Even in distant Mexico City the quake was felt so strongly that frightened residents gathered in the streets in the dark, fearing buildings would collapse.

Many aftershocks, some reaching up into the range of magnitude 6.0, were reported into the evening Thursday.

No injuries were initially reported.

A tsunami as a result of the quake is possible, the USGS said.

Earthquake expert Lucy Jones of Caltech in Pasadena helped explain the event on social media.