5.3 magnitude earthquake hits southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Thursday, causing some damage, according to local authorities.

The quake struck south of Ciudad Ixtepec, according to the National Seismological Service.

“There is damage in the area near the isthmus due to tonight’s earthquake. We are monitoring the area,” state Civil Protection authorities said on Twitter.

The local Civil Protection coordinator, Heliodoro Diaz, separately said that two houses had been damaged in Matias Romero, a town in the southeast of the state.

In the neighboring town of Santa Maria Petapa, several houses and the public market were damaged by the quake, he added.

State governor Alejandro Murat said that security protocols had been activated in the earthquake’s wake.

Oaxaca was previously hit by an 8.2 magnitude earthquake on September 7, 2017, causing damage in several towns.

Nearly two weeks later, on September 19, a deadly 7.1 magnitude quake hit further north.

A total of 369 people were killed in the quake which shook several central states and Mexico City.

© Agence France-Presse