At least 248 killed by earthquake in Mexico

MEXICO CITY - At least 226 people were killed by a powerful earthquake that struck central Mexico on Tuesday, the nation's civil protection agency said.

The death toll in Mexico City surged to 248 people, Luis Felipe Puente, the head of the agency, wrote in a post on Twitter.

The earthquake struck on the 32nd anniversary of a temblor that killed thousands in the capital.

The state of Morelos, just south of Mexico City, was also hard hit with 55 killed, Puente said.

At least 12 people were killed in the neighbouring state of Mexico, and three deaths were reported in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast.