A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has hit southern Oaxaca State, Mexico, though no casualties have been reported.
The incident occurred at around 8.40am PT on Thursday. The epicentre was located about seven miles east of Santa Maria Zapotitlan, according to Crisis24.
The tremor occurred at a depth of about 29 miles, and light shaking was probably felt throughout much of Oaxaca and parts of southern Veracruz and western Chiapas states.
According to Crisis 24, there have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake, however, significant damage is unlikely.
Comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas may take authorities several hours to conduct, and light aftershocks are expected over the coming days.
Transportation infrastructure may also be shut down in the tremor zone while damage checks are made, causing minor disruptions.
Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake’s epicentre.
Crisis24 advises that those within the tremor zone consider vacating multistory buildings where shaking occurred until authorities confirm their structural integrity as well as monitoring and planning for aftershocks.
