The Central American country of Mexico was hit by a strong earthquake on Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of buildings collapsed in the capital city of Mexico City while over 200 people have been feared dead. As per early reports coming in from Mexico City, a school building collapsed killing at least 30 people, mostly children.
The magnitude of the earthquake was measured to be 7.1 and caused major damage even to neighboring states as well. The earthquake struck after people took part in an earthquake drill. Interestingly, this quake hit Mexico exactly 32 years after one killed thousands back in 1985. This isn’t the first time that the country has been hit by tremors. Earlier this month an 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit the southern part of the country that almost 100 dead.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Atencingo in Puebla State, about 120km (75 miles) from Mexico City, at a depth of 51km. The massive shockwave hit the city around 13:14 local time (18:14 GMT) on Tuesday and sent thousands of residents onto the streets for safety.
The worst hit was Mexico City which reports having 86 dead. The death toll crossed 200 with Morelos state having 71 dead, Puebla state 43 dead, Mexico state 12 dead, Guerrero 4 dead and Oaxaca with 1dead. The most horrific sight was in Mexico City where Enrique Rébsamen elementary school collapsed. This left 37 people dead with 32 children. According to reports, 30 bodies have been recovered from the collapsed structure with more than 22 missing.
The Popocatepetl volcano had a small eruption and then collapsed causing a nearby church to stumble. This caused the death of 15 people. The authorities have decided to remain close all schools and offices on Wednesday. However, the public transport will remain operational for people to travel back homes.
The local people were the first ones to come to the aid of injured. Emergency workers, military personnel, and volunteers worked through the night to help people trapped under the debris. From the collapsed Enrique Rébsamen school building three people were rescued while one child trapped under the debris was saved after oxygen was supplied through a tube. The electricity and phone lines are down in the city. People have been cautioned not to smoke as this could lead gas blasts by ruptured pipelines.
Jeffrey is acting editor in chief of AmazingNews24 with over seven years of experience in the field of online news under his belt. Jeffrey has worked with multiple media houses and is currently leading a team of journalists, sub-editors and writers through his entrepreneurial endeavours.