A powerful earthquake has shaken buildings and caused panic in six Mexican states, killing at least six people.

All of the reported fatalities occurred in the state of Oaxaca, where the quake's epicentre was located.

Buildings also shook in Mexico City, 700km (435 miles) from the epicentre.

But the government's alert system worked well, giving residents - many of whom were at home due to a coronavirus lockdown - time to get outdoors.

It comes less than three years after an earthquake left hundreds dead and thousands homeless in Mexico City.

About 200 houses in the tourist town of La Crucecita were damaged on Tuesday, a local official said.

All six fatalities were killed in the collapse of one of the houses in the town in Oaxaca.

Thirteen hospitals have also reported damages.

"We lost everything in one moment to nature," Vicente Romero, an owner of a stationary shop told the Reuters news agency. "This is our life's work."

Rescue workers have not yet been able to access isolated villages reportedly hit, raising fears that more could have been injured.

Six hours after the quake, more than 400 aftershocks had been recorded across the region, the strongest at 4.6 magnitude.