A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Mexico on Friday, killing at least two people and causing damage across parts of Guerrero state, authorities said.

The quake interrupted President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the year as seismic alarms sounded in Mexico City. The epicentre was near San Marcos in Guerrero, close to the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco, according to Mexico’s National Seismological Service. More than 500 aftershocks were recorded.

Guerrero’s civil defence agency reported landslides in and around Acapulco and along several highways. Governor Evelyn Salgado said a 50-year-old woman died after her home collapsed in a community near the epicentre. In a separate incident, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada confirmed one death after a person suffered a medical emergency and fell while evacuating a building.

Authorities also reported significant structural damage to a hospital in Chilpancingo, the state capital, prompting the evacuation of patients.

Residents and tourists in Mexico City and Acapulco rushed outdoors as the tremor was felt across a wide area. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at a depth of about 35 kilometres, roughly 57 miles northeast of Acapulco.

President Sheinbaum resumed her briefing shortly after the earthquake.

Local residents described hearing a loud rumble before the shaking began. Some areas, particularly along the Costa Chica region southeast of Acapulco, experienced communication disruptions in the aftermath of the quake.

Source: AP / Agencies