Strong earthquake hits southern Mexico

updated 5:56 p.m. ET Oct. 16, 2008

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Thursday, shaking homes and prompting people to flee into the streets.

The quake was felt across the border in Guatemala and as far south as El Salvador. Mexican and Guatemalan emergency officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, although they were still investigating.

Cecilia Monica Hernandez said her house shook in the Mexican border city of Tapachula, 25 miles from the quake's epicenter.

"All of the roof tiles of my house moved and some fell on to the patio," she said. "People in the neighborhood ran outside, but we're all fine."

Hernandez immediately called her children's school to check on her 8-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. The teacher told her the children ran out of the classroom screaming, but that no one was injured.

The quake struck at 1:41 p.m. and was centered about 13 miles from the city of Suchiate, on the Guatemalan border, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In the Guatemalan border city of Tecun Uman, police officer Ever Velasquez said officials were surveying the area but there were no reports of injuries or damages.

"I'm really worried because I haven't been able to call my family," said Juan Carlos Calderon, a resident in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the Chiapas state capital. "I'm afraid because the building where I live is four stories high and very old."

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