Mexico City, Dhu-AlHijjah 17, 1438, September 08, 2017, SPA -- At least 32 people are dead after a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck in the waters off the south-western coast of Mexico, toppling buildings and triggering tsunami warnings, according to dpa. The country also suffered more than 260 aftershocks, reported President Enrique Pena Nieto on his Twitter feed. He called it the strongest quake to hit the country in nearly a century. Some of the strongest aftershocks registered a magnitude of 6.1, with many over magnitude 5. The initial quake was centred 133 kilometres from the town of Pijijiapan, in the state of Chiapas, and struck at a depth of 58 kilometres under the Pacific Ocean, the Mexican National Seismological Service said. The quake hit at 11:49 pm on Thursday (0449 GMT Friday), when many people had retired for the evening. The shock was felt in the capital, Mexico City, about 1,000 kilometres away from the hard-hit southern coast, where residents fled from swaying buildings and into the streets, many in their pyjamas. In all, about 50 million people felt it. "The quake was really bad. I've never experienced such a strong quake," said Luis Gomez, who fled his San Cristobal home with his wife and three daughters. "We couldn't stay in the house because it's built with steel girders and we were scared they would hit us." Fear was a common sentiment. "In my 93 years, I've never felt such a strong and long quake. I was very scared," said Margarita Morales. Juan Martinez, 85, said he lay in bed preparing to die. "My house swung back and forth like a hammock." Authorities were surveying the quake-stricken zone as daybreak began to reveal the extent of the devastation. The two hardest-hit states - Chiapas and Oaxaca - are among Mexico's poorest. Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat told broadcaster Televisa that 23 people died in his state, where a state of emergency had been declared. Seventeen deaths were reported in the town of Juchitan alone, he said. Seven perished in neighbouring Chiapas state and two in Tabasco, according to authorities. Both of the fatalities in Tabasco were children, Governor Arturo Jimenez said. One died at a hospital after a power failure caused a ventilator to fail, while the other was killed when a wall collapsed. About 1.8 million households lost power in the aftermath of the quake but electricity has subsequently been restored to most, Nieto said. Pictures on social media showed crowds huddled in the streets near piles of rubble, while videos showed buildings violently shaking. The Angel of Independence, a Mexico City landmark, wobbled from side to side. Pope Francis, currently visiting Colombia, said he was praying for the victims of the quake, as well as for those affected by the passage of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. Members of Mexico's army and navy have deployed to the affected areas to aid in recovery. A hotel collapsed in the Oaxaca town of Matias Romero, however there was no loss of life, authorities said. Education officials closed schools across the earthquake zone on Friday in order to inspect buildings to make sure they are structurally sound. All airports and sea ports were fully operational, said Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national emergency services. Mexico City's metro service was also running as usual. Damage was also reported across the border in Guatemala, although President Jimmy Morales said the extent of it was unknown. "Please remain calm," he wrote on Twitter. The earthquake sparked tsunami alerts for Mexico's Pacific coast, as well as for countries in Central America and the western Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand and Fiji. Authorities in Chiapas were urging people to evacuate to higher ground. Waves measuring about 1 metre have been observed in the major seaport of Salina Cruz, but the worst-case forecast of 3-metre-high surges did not come to pass. Several hundred people were staying in emergency shelters in Chiapas, local officials said. Mexico has substantial quake activity and is also prone to other natural threats such as hurricanes, floods and volcanoes. In neighbouring Guatemala, disaster management officials reported that two people have been injured, but that there had not been any fatalities. Donzens of homes and a bridge had been damaged, Defence Minister Williams Mansilla Fernandez said. On September 19, 1985, thousands were killed when a violent 8.1-magnitude earthquake destroyed large parts of the capital, prompting new legislation that strengthened building standards. As Mexico's Pacific coast was under tsunami warnings, Hurricane Katia was swirling in the Gulf of Mexico with top winds of 144 kilometres per hour. The storm is forecasted to make landfall early Saturday. --SPA 22:18 LOCAL TIME 19:18 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w483568