JOLT IN THE NIGHT

8.1-Magnitude Quake Rocks Mexico City, Biggest in 100 Years

President Nieto downplays initial tsunami fears, but at least 32 dead from midnight temblor.

At least 32 people are reported dead after Mexico was rocked by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake—the strongest in 100 years—that struck off the country’s southern Pacific coast just before midnight Friday. Officials issued tsunami warnings for the Chiapas coast, fearing waves as high as 9 feet, but a series of pre-dawn tweets from President Enrique Peña Nieto seemed to allay worries of a serious impact. In Mexico City, residents of high-rises filled the streets in pajamas as buildings swayed. A hotel in southern Juchitan in Oaxaca was reported to have collapsed, and rescue crews were working through the night to find people trapped inside buildings. Among the dead are two children, one of whom died in a hospital that had lost power. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was about 100 miles west of Tapachula.