A 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday afternoon.
According to the United States Geological Survey report, the epicenter of the quake was measured to be 11 miles underground and 115 miles from Acapulco, a favorite tourist destination.
The quake occurred within the Oaxaca region where 13-year-old daughter Malia, President Obama’s daughter, is reportedly vacationing for spring break. No need to worry though, the White House told CBS that Malia is safe and sound.
“In light of today’s earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger,” Kristina Schake announced to CBS. Schake is the communications director for Michelle Obama. She continued, “We would reiterate our request that the media respect the privacy and security of the Obama children and not report on or photograph the girls when they are not with their parents.”
The USGS is warning that there could be widespread damage as a result of the quake.
“You can definitely have some pretty significant damage for the region,” USGS geophysicist Julie Dutton told CBS. He continued to say that they have been seeing aftershocks after the first quake, which are in the 5.0-magnitude range.
Residents who live close to the epicenter of the quake describe being rattled around.
“It was very strong, but we didn’t see anything fall,” Irma Ortiz, who own a business in Oaxaca, said to the Associated Press.
The worst seems to be over for Mexico since the Associated Press has not reported any immediate damage and according to The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center there is not a tsunami threat for the region.
People flooded the streets of Mexico city when building began to shake, Reuters reports.
Although there was “no serious damage,” the Mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard took to Twitter and tweeted that “several properties with cracks, broken glass, or tilt.”
As of now, there have not been any deaths as a result of the earthquake.
