Southern Mexico rocked by 6.1-magnitude earthquake

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico early Saturday, the third to hit the reeling nation over the last two weeks.

The mighty rumbling sparked new panic in a nation rattled by recent natural disasters, as the death toll from another earthquake earlier this week rose to 305.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered a mere 11 miles south of Matias Romero in the Oaxaca state and hit just before 8 a.m. local time. Officials believe it’s likely an aftershock from the powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 7, in which almost 100 people were killed.

It was strong enough to topple a highway bridge in Ixtaltepec, which was already closed because of damage from the Sept. 7 quake.

At the moment the greatest damage has been to the Ixtaltepec bridge, which should be rebuilt, and structures with previous damage that collapsed," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted Saturday morning.