WATCH: Powerful Jolt in Mexico Sparks Panic Forcing Thousands to Stay Outdoors

"Due to today’s quake, electricity supply was cut to 998,000 households and businesses in Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Morelos," Jaime Hernandez tweeted.

A total of 194 aftershocks have been registered in Mexico after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the country, the National Seismological Service said. The strongest of the aftershocks assessed as a 5.9 magnitude.

#MexicoCity #earthquake February 16, 2018 6pm #PrayForMexico pic.twitter.com/eSJc8aGU8y

— Andrea Legarreta (@AndeaLegarreta) 17 февраля 2018 г.

The tremor in a rural area in southwestern state of Oaxaca was felt strongly in Mexico City where thousands of people fled buildings.

7.5 #earthquake #Terremoto #Temblor #Oaxaca #Mexico Close to collapsed building 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iLS6SLBct9

— Teacher From PR ♥️ (@MaestroDEPR) 17 февраля 2018 г.

A Sputnik correspondent said alarm was sounded just moments before the quake, which caused a massive power outage in the capital. People still afraid to return back to their homes and reportedly trying to keep away from living compounds.

Myself and the people of Oaxaca city rush outside just as an earthquake hits the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. #BreakingNews #earthquake #oaxaca pic.twitter.com/9fTeMU9OM7

— James F. Carbone (@saintcamera) 17 февраля 2018 г.

This is the second strong quake to rock the country in six months. So far, it has caused limited damage but no casualties. A 7.1-magnitude tremor in densely populated central Mexico killed and injured hundreds last September.

Earlier on in the day, the 7.2-magnitude tremor hit a rural area in southwestern Mexico and was felt as far as the capital. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called an urgent meeting of the national center for disaster prevention. A local publication, Excelsior, reported that the president told the military to deploy forces to the affected regions.