People gather on a street after an earthquake in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Sept. 19, 2017. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the central state of Morelos in Mexico on Tuesday, according to the National Seismological Service (SSN). (Xinhua/Francisco Canedo)
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed on Tuesday when a powerful earthquake toppled buildings in central Mexico, on the 32th anniversary of the deadly 1985 temblor that killed thousands in the capital Mexico City.
The two deaths occurred in central Mexico State, which surrounds the capital, Gov. Alfredo del Mazo said.
Six children were also injured, Del Mazo told reporters.
According to preliminary reports, the quake caused the collapse of at least two buildings in different parts of the capital, and partial damage to numerous other structures.
The seismic waves caused fissures in a road outside the capital's airport, where flights were also disrupted, and a high-rise on Mexico City's main south-north axis, Avenida Insurgentes, caught fire.
According to the report of the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the 7.1-magnitude quake, which hit at 1:14 p.m. local time, was located 5 km from Raboso, in the central Mexican state of Puebla.
Its proximity to the capital made the quake feel as intense as the 8.2-magnitude earthquake that hit southern Mexico on Sept. 7, reportedly the strongest to hit the country in a century.
Television footage showed the normally placid canals of the city's floating gardens of Xochimilco, a popular tourist attraction, churning with waves, and the boats being tossed about as if on the high seas.
Just hours earlier, at 11 a.m., there was a nationwide earthquake drill to mark the anniversary of the deadly quake on Sept. 19, 1985.
