Strong quake strikes off Guatemala coast

[NewsCaster]

Eduardo  Verdugo / APPeople who work in office buildings along El Paseo de la Reforma stand outside Wednesday after evacuating their offices due to a Gautemala-centered earthquake felt in Mexico City.By NBC News staff and wire reportsA strong earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Wednesday, shaking buildings in Guatemala City, San Salvador and as far away as Mexico City, witnesses told Reuters.

A Guatemala fire chief said eight people buried under rubble were killed, but there was no immediate confirmation of the report or of other possible injuries and damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.5 quake struck 28 miles southwest of Champerico, Guatemala, near the border with Mexico. The epicenter was 25 miles below the surface.

CONRED, the government office for reduction of disasters in Guatemala, told NBC News an aerial evaluation of affected neighborhoods was being carried out amid reports of walls collapsing in homes and the loss of power and telephone services.

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