Two earthquakes west of Mexico

Two large earthquakes that struck western Mexico shook buildings as far away as the capital and sending people rushing out of…

Two large earthquakes that struck western Mexico shook buildings as far away as the capital and sending people rushing out of offices onto the streets.

There were no reports of major damage after the first of the two tremors. The US Geological Survey said the first quake yesterday evening in the western state of Michoacan had a magnitude of 6.5 - and was recorded at a depth of 12.4 miles.

The second quake, early today off Sonora, Baja California, was stronger at a magnitude of 6.9 and shallower at a depth of 6.2 miles.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, writing on his Twitter account after the first quake, said there were no initial signs of serious damage. Key services in the capital, including its subway system and the international airport, were operating normally.

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"There was a nasty crunching sound in my bathroom and everything moved," said Adela Arceo, who was looking after two young children in the central Roma neighborhood of Mexico City.

Emergency services in Michoacan and in the neighbouring state of Guerrero, which has been hit by a series of recent quakes, reported no major problems yesterday.

"You could feel it, but there's no major damage. There are no reports, no emergency calls," said Agustin Lule, a spokesman for fire services in Uruapan, a town in Michoacan near the epicentre.

The Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it had issued no tsunami warning, but staff oceanographer David Walsh noted the quake was close to water, big enough and potentially deep enough to cause one.

The two quakes followed two tremors that jolted Mexico within the past month. A 7.4 magnitude quake struck on March 20th, damaging hundreds of buildings in the southwest. That was followed by dozens of aftershocks.

Earlier on Wednesday, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia, raising fears of a huge tsunami like the one that battered the Indian Ocean rim in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat.

Five people died and six were injured in Indonesia, a disaster agency official said today, adding the total included a 70-year-old who died of a heart attack during the quake.

Reuters