A 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Mexico

A parked car suffered damage when a adobe wall collapsed on it after a strong earthquake shook Chilpancingo, Mexico, Friday morning, April 18, 2014. A powerful magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook central and southern Mexico but there were no early reports of major damage or casualties. (AP Photo/Alejandrino Gonzalez).

A strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck 170 miles (273 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City at about 9:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. EDT; 1430 GMT) on Friday shaking central and southern Mexico .

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered 22 miles (36 kilometers) northwest of the town of Tecpan de Galeana, and was 15 miles (24 kilometers) deep.

There were reports of cracked walls, fallen fences and walls, fallen trees, broken windows and a power outage but there were no reports of major damage or casualties.

USGS seismologist Gavin Hayes said that the earthquake occurred along a section of the Pacific Coast known as the Guerrero Seismic Gap, a 125-mile (200-kilometer) section where tectonic plates meet and have been locked, meaning huge amounts of energy are being stored up with potentially devastating effects.

A damaged abandoned home is seen at the Juarez neighborhood after a strong earthquake jolted Mexico City, Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

A damaged abandoned house is seen at the Juarez neighborhood after a strong earthquake jolted Mexico City, Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo).

Two Major Storms Hit Mexico, 41 Killed

Rain water pours into the beach due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Manuel in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. Flooding and landslides unleashed by Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel have claimed at least a dozen lives in Mexico and sparked the evacuations of thousands of people even before the weather systems had made landfall on the country’s east and west coasts. (AP Photo/Bernandino Hernandez)

 

Tropical Depression Ingrid hit Mexico’s northern Gulf coast, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Manuel hit the Mexico’s Pacific coast, causing some of the worst flooding in decades.

The storms have affected two-thirds of the entire country brought very strong winds, heavy rains that caused flash floods and landslides.

Buildings were damaged, roads were washed out 

At least 41 people were killed in the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Puebla, Hidalgo, Michoacan and Oaxaca by the flooding and landslides.

Acapulco was hardest hit where at least 21 people were killed as buildings collapsed and roads were transformed into raging rivers.

(Please click the photos for larger images)

Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean region are pictured in this September 16, 2013 NASA satellite handout photo, which shows the remains of Tropical Storm Ingrid on the east coast of Mexico. REUTERS/NASA/Handout via Reuters

Soldiers stand on the remains of a bus after it was buried by a mountain landslide in Altotonga in Veracruz state, along Mexico’s Gulf coast, September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Martinez

People stand in a house flooded by mud after a mountain landslide in Altotonga in Veracruz state, along Mexico’s Gulf coast, September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Martinez

Soldiers lift a portion of a bus out of the mud after it was buried by a mountain landslide in Altotonga in Veracruz state, along Mexico’s Gulf coast, September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Martinez

Soldiers and police work around the wreckage of a bus after it was buried by a mountain landslide at Altotonga in Veracruz state, along Mexico’s Gulf coast, September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Martinez

Soldiers search for survivors after a bus and two nearby houses were buried by a mountain landslide in Altotonga in Veracruz state, along Mexico’s Gulf coast, September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Martinez

Tropical Storm Manuel edged onto Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday while Hurricane Ingrid swirled offshore on the other side of the country, as heavy rains and landslides caused at least 13 deaths and led authorities to evacuate thousands. (Sept. 15)

Rain water pours into the beach due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Manuel in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. Flooding and landslides unleashed by Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel have claimed at least a dozen lives in Mexico and sparked the evacuations of thousands of people even before the weather systems had made landfall on the country’s east and west coasts. (AP Photo/Bernandino Hernandez)

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