At least 15 killed as massive 8.0 earthquake hits Mexican coast, tsunami waves likely

A strong earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck off the coast of Mexico on Thursday evening, killing at least 15 people. The quake may possibly trigger widespread tsunami waves, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible within three hours along some coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and Ecuador.

The quake's depth was at 33 kilometers, or 20 miles, the PTWC said.

The epicentre of the quake was estimated offshore about 60 miles southwest of Pijijiapan, just north of the Mexico-Guatemala border.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, on his verified twitter account,  tweeted, "Civil protection protocols are activated, including the National Emergency Committee."

"It's a big quake. It's about 70 miles offshore, but it's not an unheard of quake," USGS geophysicist Randy Baldwin told NBC News in a phone interview.

"This is a large quake. I'm sure that it will be widely felt and possibly damaging," Baldwin added.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said that the quake was also felt in Belize and Guatemala.

Reports state that people in the capital city began to flee from their buildings when they felt strong tremors.

Several powerful aftershocks also appeared to hit the region.