Two large quakes strike western Mexico within 12 hours,

Two large earthquakes have struck western Mexico, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and sending people rushing out of offices on to the streets.

There were no reports of major damage after the first of the two tremors.

The quake followed a series of recent tremors in the region.

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwest Mexico on March 20, killing two people, injuring 13 others and damaging thousands of homes. Several hundred aftershocks have rocked south, western and central Mexico since then, including a 6.3-magnitude quake on April 2.

People in Mexico's crowded capital, with more than 20 million in the metro area, are all too familiar with seismic activity and used to evacuation drills.

The Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it had issued no tsunami warning, but staff oceanographer David Walsh noted the quake was close to water, big enough and potentially deep enough to cause one.

Earlier on Wednesday, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia, raising fears of a huge tsunami like the one that battered the Indian Ocean rim in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat.

Sources:

reuters

news.yahoo

guardian

huffingtonpost