Mexico City earthquake: People trapped as fires break out across capital after huge tremors

Mexican TV and social media shows buildings collapsed and cars crushed by debris

A car crashed by debris from a damaged building after a quake rattled Mexico City (AFP/Getty)

Fires have been reported in buildings across Mexico City and people are trapped after a powerful earthquake struck close to the city, causing massive damage.

An official at the Civil Protection agency confirmed people were underneath the rubble after the 7.1 magnitude quake.

Thousands of people have moved onto the streets to avoid precarious buildings.

The earthquake struck close to the town of Atencingo in the central state of Puebla, 76 miles southeast of Mexico City, the US Geological Survey said.

Photos showed some buildings had collapsed and cars were crushed by debris that had been shaken loose from buildings.

One image showed a multistory building partially collapsed with dozens of rescue workers close by. It is unclear if people were trapped inside.

Other video showed the side of a government building sheering off and falling into the street as bystanders screamed.

In Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City, there were unconfirmed reports on local radio of people trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The quake came just over a week after another major quake shook the country.

Mexican TV and social media showed cars crushed by debris. Many people fled into the streets, and electricity and phone lines were down in parts of the capital.

"We got out really fast, leaving everything as it was and just left," said Rosaura Suarez, as she stood with a crowd on the street.

The quake hit only hours after many people participated in earthquake drills around the nation on the anniversary of the devastating quake that killed thousands in Mexico City in 1985.

Many people were also still shaken from the recent quake on 7 September, a powerful 8.1 tremor that killed at least 98 people.

President Enrique Pena was on a flight to Oaxaca, one of the hardest hit areas by that quake, and said via his Twitter account that he was immediately returning to attend to the quake in Mexico City.