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MAJOR QUAKES HITS SOUTHERN MEXICO
People in capital flee their homes as 6.2 temblor strikes
Locals wait outside their homes in Mexico City, Mexico, on Wednesday after an earthquake rattled buildings at 2:22 a.m. local time (7:22 GMT)

.msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 9 minutes ago
-MEXICO CITY — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico early Wednesday, shaking buildings in Mexico City 220 miles away where people fled into the streets in their pajamas.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 2:22 a.m. local time (3:22 a.m. ET), was 75 miles west-southwest of Oaxaca City, Mexico, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It put the magnitude at 6.5, but later downgraded this to 6.2.

Civil protection officials in the city had no initial reports of casualties, although a photograph taken by the european pressphoto agency showed a collapsed building in the area.

"It felt strong, especially near the coast. It woke me up, I was scared too," said Oaxaca civil protection official Gilberto Mateo. "For now we haven't had reports of damage, we are checking communities."

Some hotel guests in the cobblestoned center of Oaxaca felt the tremor strongly and evacuated briefly.

'Very strong'
However Eliel Medina, who works on the front desk of the Hotel de la Parra in Oaxaca City, reacted calmly.

"I noticed it first when I saw that the computer monitor started to move … it was very strong," he told msnbc.com. "I didn't leave my desk because I am working. I waited for it to pass and then it started again. The second one was stronger."