Powerful earthquake hits Mexico's popular beach resort Acapulco

Residents in Mexico City rushed out onto the streets after the earthquake, as buildings rocked and swayed around them

A powerful earthquake struck Mexico near the Pacific resort city of Acapulco on Tuesday night, killing at least one person.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7 and was centered 17 kilometres (about 10 miles) northeast of the popular beach resort.

The quake caused buildings to rock and sway in Mexico City hundreds of kilometres away.

Guerrero state Governor Hector Astudillo told Milenio Television late Tuesday night that one person had been killed by a falling post in the town of Coyuca de Benitez near Acapulco.

"We heard loud noise from the building, noise from the windows, things fell inside the house, the power went out," said Sergio Flores, an Acapulco resident.

"We heard leaking water, the water went out of the pool and you heard people screaming, very nervous people."

Mr Flores said all he could do when it started shaking was hug his wife.

He saw people leaving hotels around the bay and some running into parking decks to remove their cars, fearing a collapse.

Power lines and buildings swayed in the capital before explosions lit up the sky, knocking out power in the neighbourhood

"We were all worried about some change in the sea, but so far authorities have not said anything about a tsunami alert," he said.

Gov. Astudillo said the tsunami alert center had not registered any variations in the sea level, with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later saying the threat of potential waves had passed.

Before the death in Coyuca de Benitez was reported, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote on Twitter there had been no deaths or serious damage in the four states that felt the quake.

Mexico’s National Civil Defense said it was conducting reviews in 10 states, but had not received reports of victims nor serious damage.

In Mexico City, more than 320 kilometres (nearly 200 miles) away, the ground shook for nearly a minute in some parts of the capital, but the quake was less evident in other parts.

Mexico City authorities said there were no early reports of significant damage in the city, though electricity was knocked out in some neighbourhoods.

Arturo Hernández was standing outside the relatively new apartment building he moved into just three years ago.

Beside it stood a taller building abandoned since the magnitude-7.1 earthquake of Sept. 19, 2017, in neighbouring Puebla state that caused major damage in the capital.

Mr Hernández heard the seismic alarm and made it outside before the ground began to shake.

The abandoned building next to his continued to crack and moan for three minutes after the shaking stopped, he said.

Asked if he had worried about the damaged building next door, he said, "Always, always."

Tuesday’s earthquake occurred four years to the day after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake that struck off the coast of Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, largely destroying the town of Juchitan in neighboring Oaxaca state and killing dozens.