Powerful earthquake kills at least 15 in Mexico

UPDATES WITH CASUALTIES

By Nancy Caouette

MEXICO CITY (AA) - At least 15 people were killed in a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake in southern Mexico early Friday, authorities said.

According to the figures provided by each state, Ricardo De La Cruz, head of emergency response agency, said a total of 15 people were killed in the quake.

He said that ten people were killed when their house collapsed in the Juchitan city of southern Oaxaca state.

Three others were reported killed in the state of Chiapas, while one more in the state of Tabasco.

The earthquake was also felt strongly in Mexico City, even though the epicenter was 965 kilometers (600 miles) away from the capital.

No major damages have been reported in the capital, but the city faces power outages.

A tsunami alert was also issued following the quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred 96 kilometers (59 miles) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan, at a depth of 35 km (21 miles), the agency said.

The U.S.' Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that "widespread tsunami waves are possible".

The warning relates to some coasts of Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala, among several other countries to a lesser degree.​