Magnitude 7.3 earthquake quake strikes off Mexico coast

emirates7 - A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific.

No fatalities or significant damage have been reported in Mexico or Guatemala from the quake, which was also felt in El Salvador.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicenter 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas, and at a depth of 9 miles. It was preceded by a smaller quake with an epicenter a bit farther out in the ocean.

There were at least 10 aftershocks between magnitude 4.9 and 6, according to USGS.

Mexico's navy secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales told a press conference that there was "no serious impact", but that people were being advised to stay away from beaches.

The US Tsunami Warning System had warned of possible "hazardous tsunami waves" along the nearby coasts of Mexico and Guatemala. It later recorded waves of 0.3m (1.1 feet) above tide level in Puerto Madero and Chiapas in Mexico.

Governor Salomón Jara Cruz, of the southern Mexican state Oaxaca, said the quake was felt with "moderate intensity" but no significant damage had been reported.