Mexico president: Quake biggest in a century

A massive 8.1-magnitude quake hit off the coast of southern Mexico, toppling houses in Chiapas state, causing at least two deaths and setting off a tsunami warning.

An eyewitness uploaded dazzling footage of natural disaster lights that appeared in the skies over Mexico City shortly after the quake.

The death toll in the 8.2-magnitude quake that hit Mexico on Friday continues to rise, local authorities report.

Two people were crushed to death in Chiapas when buildings collapsed on them, said local officials and Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong.

The quake was apparently stronger than a devastating 1985 tremor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands, but initial reports of damage in the city were limited.

A tsunami warning and the prospect of aftershocks kept the nation on alert.

The quake triggered waves as high as 2.3 ft (0.7 m) in Mexico, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The PTWC said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible within the three hours following the quake along some coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and Ecuador.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted, "Civil protection protocols are activated, including the National Emergency Committee".

"We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details", he said, noting the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near its border with Mexico.

"I was driving when the ground started to shake".

"We heard an explosion".

She said she parked her vehicle and stood with other people in middle of the street to avoid falling objects.

The epicentre was about 100km (62 miles) south-west of the town of Pijijiapan and at a depth of 35km, the United States Geological Survey said.

It struck off the Pacific coast, 74 miles southwest of Tres Picos, Mexico, which is 600 miles southeast of Mexico City, CNN reported.

The authorities have since instituted a stricter building code and developed an quake alert system using sensors placed on the coasts.

Guatemala President Jimmy Morales called for calm as crews searched for damage in his nearby country.