Earthquake Shakes Mexico City

Earthquakes shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway in the capital and sending thousands fleeing into the streets as an earthquake alarm sounded.

There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries. Mexico Seismology Service said the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Pinotepa Nacional on the Pacific Coast.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), Mexico is more susceptible to earthquakes than most countries. Tremors occur somewhere in the country every day.

The most noteworthy earthquake occurred in Mexico City. On September 19, 1985 an earthquake produced a shock measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale. Aftershocks of this quake lasted for three days. Parts of Mexico City were severely damaged and serious damage also occurred in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacan. More than 10,000 lives were lost and 350,000 made homeless. According to the I.I.I., while difficult to quantify the final cost because of the devaluation of the peso, Cresta data said the figure was in the region of $4 billion (U.S.), with insured losses in the region of 10 percent or $400 million (U.S.).