June 15, 1999
Web posted at: 8:49 PM EDT (0049 GMT)

MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A magnitude 6.7 earthquake jolted central Mexico and could be felt in Mexico City, more than 100 miles from the epicenter, where windows shattered and thousands of residents rushed to the streets for safety.

There was no official word on injuries, but TV Azteca said one person was killed, 200 people injured and that 12 people were pinned beneath rubble in Puebla, a city of 1 million people about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of Mexico City.

The quake struck around 3:42 p.m. (4:42 ET) and was centered near Tehuacan, a city of 140,000 about 135 miles east-southeast of Mexico City, according to the National Earthquake Center, which monitors earthquake activity worldwide.

Geophysicist Stuart Koyanagi said it is "somewhat unusual" that the quake struck inland because most earthquakes in Mexico strike the western coast.

Several minor aftershocks followed the initial quake.

President Ernesto Zedillo, who cut short a planned trip to the Caribbean coast, said he will fly to Puebla state to assess the damage.

There were no reports of injuries in the Mexican capital and only scattered reports of damage. Telephone service and power were disrupted in some areas.

Reporting from Mexico City after the quake struck, CNN's Harris Whitbeck said he could see hundreds of people gathered in the streets, waiting to be told it was safe to return to their office buildings.

Mexico's largest recent earthquake, on September 19, 1985, was recorded at more than magnitude 8 and killed at least 6,000 people.