Mexico City • A powerful earthquake is shaking Mexico’s capital city, causing people to flee swaying buildings and knocking out lights to part of the city.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 and its epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state. It had a depth of 22 miles.

Even in distant Mexico City, the quake was felt so strongly that frightened residents gathered in the streets in the dark, fearing buildings would collapse.