21 dead after Mexico earthquake

At least 21 people have been killed by a powerful earthquake that rocked western and central Mexico.

Dozens of houses were flattened overnight in Colima state, about 300 miles west of the capital Mexico City, emergency services said.

The US Geological Survey recorded the quake’s magnitude at 7.8 and said it was expected to have caused “substantial damage”.

Radio reports said most of the victims died after parts of office buildings and apartment blocks collapsed near the centre of Colima City.

Nearly all the state remained without electricity and phone service early today, Colima Governor Fernando Moreno Pena said.